M O A S
by Jasmine2009
Summary: The mother of all secrets threatens to surface in Tony's life.
1. Chapter 1

Name: M O A S  
Author: Jasmine (AKA: Jasmine2009)

Date: April 17, 2011  
Rated: PG-13  
Universe: NCIS, Season 5ish  
Summary: The mother of all secrets threatens to surface in Tony's life.

Disclaimer: The Full Disclaimer is at the end of the story. If I write it here, it gives away too much. Suffice it to say that other people get credit for several references in this story. I do not own any of these characters nor do I make any money off this story. Full credit goes to D. Belisario, CBS, and anyone else who's involved with the hit TV series NCIS as well as Pat Benetar.

Chapter 1

Abby hurried through her lab, flipping on switches and apologizing to her machines. "Can't wait for you to boot up this morning, guys, there's a very important person visiting today." She flung her black cape towards a hook on the wall, watched it slide to the floor, and snatched up her desk phone, "McGee! Is she here?"

"No, not yet, but you'd better get up here."

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she fixed her pigtails, straightened her skirt and hurried towards the elevator. She was none too pleased that it stopped on every floor and even less pleased that the small lift was at capacity by the time she reached her destination. She was the last to exit and could barely see through the throngs of people blocking her way.

Teetering on her toes, she peered over the tops of heads. "McGee? Ziva?"

"Over here, we saved you a spot!"

She pushed and muscled her way through the people until she was in the bullpen with familiar faces. Dr. Mallard and Palmer were even there, lingering, or at least trying to look like they had purpose.

"I didn't know you were familiar with Sarita, Ducky?"

"Actually, this is Mr. Palmer's idea. But I do have her first albums, _Passionate Crime_. I bought it to impress a young lady I was seeing at the time who had a particular penchant for her music."

'_Album?'_ she thought, but pushing the thought from her head and deciding she didn't want to wait for the rest of the story, she grabbed the only other female colleague on 'Team Gibbs' and pulled her across the bullpen towards McGee's desk.

Ziva had no choice but to follow. Using Abby as interference, she tried to avoid running into people but it didn't work and she found herself bumping into a woman she didn't even recognize. "I did not know NCIS had this many people working for it."

Gibbs smirked, "Neither did I." He was the only person who seemed oblivious to his surrounds, but more than likely he was keenly aware of everything happening.

"C'mon, Boss, you have to admit this is pretty exciting," McGee said.

Gibbs looked up.

"…but, perhaps, not nearly as exciting as working on our case."

"Aww, Gibbs," Abby sounded sad, "this is a really exciting time. It's not every day that we get this kind of visitor. Do you even know who Sarita is?"

The glare was only slightly softer than the one he'd just given McGee, but unlike that one, he couldn't sustain it with her. "Yes, I know who she is. I'm older than you, Abs, not dead."

Smiling, Ziva mused, "I remember being a teenager and lying in bed and listening to her songs until my father would threaten to break my CDs!" she smiled at the not so long ago memory. "I even had her poster on my wall."

"Everybody had her poster on their wall, Ziva," McGee swooned. Remembering his own adolescent experience with the famous musician, he shared his story, "It was her music that made me commit my first crime. I learned how to go in through the backdoor of music sites and download copies of her songs. It was before I knew that was wrong."

"Sure, McGee," Abby teased, enjoying his confession, "I bet you continued to pirate songs even after you learned it was illegal."

He bristled, feeling the eyes of his colleagues on him. "Well…, it didn't seem wrong at the time."

Abby suddenly looked up. "Speaking of wrong… Where's Tony?"

McGee shrugged, "I don't know, but he picked one hell of a day to be late to work."

Ziva was keenly aware of his absence, and couldn't help but find it amusing. Because of his personal character flaws, Tony was going to miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime. She shimmied her shoulders and boasted, "He is going to shoot himself when he realizes that he missed meeting one of the most talented people on earth, not to mention one of the most beautiful."

"I can't imagine that Tony would miss this on purpose. Didn't he know she was coming today?" Palmer asked.

"Probably not," McGee answered, "we didn't know about it until late last night and he had already left for Norfolk to pick up the evidence in the Goodison case."

"Why didn't you call him?"

Ziva narrowed her eyes and answered, "We tried; he wouldn't pick up."

McGee continued, "I think you're right, Ziva, he's going to shoot himself when he learns he could have met Sarita. Who's going to tell him?"

"I get to," she declared, a little too fast. "After all, it is my desk he keeps snooping around."

"I think I should be the one to get to," he whined. "It's my DVD's he keeps stealing."

"Hey, look!" Palmer said, pointing across the room at the commotion, "I think she's here!"

The large gathering of people anxiously stared at the elevator. The doors opened and there was almost a silent disappointment when NCIS security exited. Following security were two men who must have been body guards given their size and dress. Two more men of equal size and appearance followed them and it wasn't until they were well inside the room that someone noticed the famous celebrity nestled inside the group.

"There she is!"

Director Vance had been observing the scene from the mezzanine until the convoy exited the elevator. He made his way down the stairs and towards the ball of security. Extending a hand, he said, "Welcome, Miss Villanova. I trust that you are being properly received?"

She stepped forward and took his hand, "Yes, very much so, thank you. But please, call me Sarita." Looking around at the people, she said, "I hope my request didn't cause too much disruption."

"Of course not. We're very pleased that you chose NCIS to be your security detail while you're here in DC. I have to admit that the FBI and the Chief of Police are not very happy about it, but we're delighted." He released her hand and said, "I can run through the security procedures with your team if you'd like?"

She scanned the crowd of people before smiling at his request. "Actually, do you think you could introduce me to the agents who'll be assigned to protect me?"

Vance was startled by her request. Women of such prestige usually didn't bother themselves with the details, but he obliged her all the same and ushered her into the bullpen.

Gibbs stood, watching her approach as the mass of people parted like the Red Sea. It wasn't often he was taken aback by someone, and it truly wasn't often he was taken aback by a female, let alone one who was twenty years his junior, but she caught his eye in a way no blue eyed, red headed lady had ever done before. She was stunning, much more beautiful than his mind's eye had remembered. He concluded that a few years on a woman was often the missing ingredient in the young and pretty teenage starlets of today.

But as Vance introduced her to his team, he got a strange feeling in his gut. As delighted as she was to meet them, and as graceful as she was at moving through the bullpen, and as genuinely interested as she was in NCIS, there was something slightly off about her. And it wasn't just her eyes, her entire body was telling him something, but with a woman like her, it would take more than a feeling in his gut to break that shell.

He, as well as every other person on the floor, stared at Sarita Villanova, only he stared for entirely different reasons.

Chapter 2

Tony was feeling good. His date last night went better than expected and after he drove her back to her place early this morning, he still had enough time to fit in a morning run before a quick shower and a hasty drive into work. Being habitually late had its advantages but it never hurt to stroke the boss occasionally, which is why he stopped for some "good" coffee at the local 7-11. His mood wasn't even daunted by the extra security at the main gate, or by the extra thorough inspection given his car. He thought about asking the guard why, but decided he wasn't really interested. He had Gibbs' coffee, he had the evidence from Norfolk, and he had a tidbit of gossip about McGee that he couldn't wait to share. He just had to decide on the best time to deliver it. Picking on McGee was quickly becoming one of his all time favorite pastimes. It was almost too easy, maybe even downright unfair, but it was fun and it reminded him of his days at Ohio State when he'd harass his fraternity brothers. _'Survival of the fittest—'_

'—_Hey, where is everyone?_' he thought. The parking lot had been filled to capacity, but the place looked disserted. He realized where all the people were when the elevator stopped at his floor and opened. "What's going on?" he said to no one in particular. He pushed his way further into the room and looked around at the crowd. Following their gaze, he saw Director Vance ascending the stairs, but he also saw a woman following him and from the side view, it looked as though they had good reason to be staring.

Then she turned and looked in his direction.

Time simply stopped. Not even the coffee cup sliding from his hands and splattering on the floor invaded the moment. He felt a cool wave wash over his face as the blood drained away. The people in the room just faded to black and dissolved into nothingness, leaving one lone figure in his tunnel of vision: Sarah. There seemed to be a metrical rhythm in the room, or was that simply his heart pounding an ever increasing beat. She was exactly how he remembered her.

"Tony," she whispered.

"Sarah?" he mouthed back, hoping it was only a mirage of sorts.

They stared at each other a moment longer. She was the one who broke eye contact and went to him, hesitant at first, but patience was never her virtue, and she ran the last several steps, jumping on him and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "God, I've missed you," she said into his ear, not relinquishing her hold of him.

If he had been aware of his surroundings, he would have seen a roomful of people dropping their jaws.

He set her down and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

She smiled and said, "You're my new body guard!"

McGee stared at the encounter, stunned. For once, he thought he had something over on the senior field agent, something to tease him about all day. Now, those hopes were dashed. "Of course Tony would know the most beautiful woman in the world."

Ziva snarled, "And never mention it!"

"He's my new hero," Palmer gushed.

Gibbs studied his senior field agent and recognized the expression. For someone who had just been reunited with a long lost friend, there wasn't much happiness being exuded.

Tony looked up at the faces, searching for the few he cared about. The only one whose mouth wasn't agape was Gibbs, and Ducky wasn't smiling either. This could only mean trouble for him… for them.

Sarita turned and looked at the director, who seemed in as much shock as the rest of the crowd. "Director Vance, this is the man I want protecting me. If you give him to me for the next three days, I promise I'll perform at any and all USO functions for the next month. Free of charge!"

Tony was too stunned to articulate words, perhaps a first for him. As he gathered his thoughts of protest, Vance gave his answer, "Consider him yours."

Chapter 3

Gibbs sat across from Tony in the Director's office. It was easy to stare at his senior field agent who was averting his eyes at every chance. Tony was nervous and angry and scared of something, and if the director didn't use caution and treat Tony like the ticking time bomb he was, there was going to be a showdown, and he'd bet his life that the director would lose.

Vance tossed the file on the table, pulled out his chair and sat down heavily. "You mind telling me why the most famous celebrity in the world has chosen you to be her body guard?"

Tony could think of a thousand reasons, but none that he cared to share. "I really don't know."

"Wrong answer, try again."

Gibbs studied his agent, but Tony was continuing to avert his eyes.

"She and I grew up on the same street. We were neighbors, kids together. That's all. I haven't seen her in a few years, maybe the last time she was in town."

"That doesn't explain why she requested NCIS, or more specifically, YOU."

"She must think that we can do a better job at offering protection."

"You mean she thinks YOU can do a better job at offering protection. She specifically requested us, which was rather astonishing considering she has zero military connections. But it's beginning to make sense if she's only interested in you."

Gibbs waited and was rewarded with a furtive glance by his agent. _'Oh yeah,'_ Gibbs thought, '_there is a lot more to this story than he's going to share.'_

"You'll have to ask her, Director. I just found out about this a few minutes ago."

Not to be bested, if DiNozzo wanted to be difficult, the director would play along. "Since you're her detail, you make sure she's kept happy, Agent DiNozzo. I don't care what her request is, you fulfill it to the letter. Are we clear?"

Already the anger was becoming evident and unless Vance wanted to see Anthony DiNozzo test the waters of his employment, Gibbs figured it was time to intervene. "Tony, go back to your desk and finish the report on the Goodison case."

Vance shot the team leader a gaze that would have crumpled a weaker man. He hated his authority undermined, but it didn't take a PhD to know that when it came to following orders, DiNozzo was going to follow Gibbs' orders over him every time.

When the door shut behind him, Gibbs calmly addressed his Director. "What's the matter, Leon? Protecting a high profile figure like Sarita is every agency's dream."

"If we don't screw it up, it is. And since when have you been concerned about the agency's dream?"

"We don't have to understand it to do it. So what if they know each other. Give him some space and let him do his job. You know as well I do that there's no better agent than DiNozzo, and if Sarita is set on having him as her personal body guard, go with it."

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why she's doing this? She has more money than God, and she can hire a dozen DiNozzo's to guard her, but she has her mind set on one, ours."

Gibbs shrugged. Remembering the looks they exchanged and the stiff demeanor of his agent, he was less curious than he was suspicious. But no, he knew Tony well enough to know that he wasn't going to get an answer by simply asking. Heading for the door, his parting words were, "Think of it this way, Leon. You're gonna be a hero when she starts performing for our guys in the field."

Chapter 4

By the time Tony returned to the bullpen, he was actually thankful that the only people left were his partners. He noticed them staring at him. "What?"

"You know Sarita," McGee stated, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Yeah."

"And you never mentioned this fact to us before," Ziva added, equally bemused.

"You never asked."

"Tony, you're infatuated with Sean Connery! One would think if you knew someone a hundred times more famous, you would want to share that!"

Tony sat at his desk and powered up his computer. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd go away. Unfortunately, his actions had the reverse effect and he looked up to see them staring down at him. "What!"

"You do not find it the least bit strange that Sarita, a world renowned musician and actress and philanthropist, has chosen you to be her body guard? What, did she just happen to pick your name out of a sack?"

"Hat." Tony corrected, "Hat, Ziva. Did she pick my name out of a HAT."

"Whatever… you obviously know one another. How?"

Tony leaned back and smiled; if he didn't, he was going to hit one of them. And his two choices would have either landed him in the hospital or labeled him a brute. In light of his current assignment, the ever present media coverage would have a field day with such behavior.

"Back to work," Gibbs said rounding the corner. "Tony doesn't start his new assignment until this afternoon and I want the Goodison case closed by then."

"Right, Boss." Tony was never so thankful for his entrance. "I'm taking this down to Evidence." He grabbed the box, ignored his partners, and left, leaving McGee and Ziva to wallow in their own curiosity. They looked at their boss, but he wouldn't be any help. They watched him answer his phone, listen a moment, hang up and say, "I'm going to see Ducky."

Ziva tried sitting at her desk, completing her report, but she was antsy. After a few minutes, she sauntered over to McGee's desk. They both had many questions and they weren't too surprised when Abby and Jimmy rounded the corner and joined them.

"Where is he?" Abby asked.

"He's checking in evidence," McGee answered.

Jimmy asked, "Did you learn anything? How does he know her?"

"He's not talking."

"Maybe I can get it out of him," Abby smiled. "I've been working on a truth serum in the lab. I'd like to test it on somebody."

By their expressions, it was obvious they thought her method might border on the extreme, possibly the insane. McGee was silently volunteered by Ziva to refute her plan, "Umm, I think Tony's proven that truth serum isn't that effective on him, Abby. But good thought."

Ziva straightened, having had a sudden thought, "Are we not NCIS agents?"

The three stared at her declaration.

"Do we not solve crimes for a living?"

"This isn't a crime, Ziva," McGee answered.

"Okay, but we do have a question that needs to be answered. We can solve this like we solve any other case!"

Abby was the first to jump on board, "Yes! This IS a mystery! And we CAN solve it!"

"Yes-we-can!" Ziva fed off the encouragement. "I will run background checks on Sarita. McGee, you run background checks on Tony! We'll see if we can find out how they know each other."

Jimmy jumped into the process, "I'll keep my eyes and ears open in Autopsy. Dr. Mallard always knows more than he lets on."

"What'll I do?" Abby asked.

"You keep Tony out of our way. We'll need about an hour."

"Right. I know just the ticket to keep our boy busy," she said, rubbing her hands together.

"No truth serum!" they replied in unison.

Abby shifted her jaw slightly, puzzled by their insistence. "Fine," she mumbled as she turned and walked away.

Ziva furrowed her brow at her partner, "McGee, what's wrong? You look like you just swallowed a lime."

"Well, I was thinking… why don't YOU run the background check on Tony and I'll run it on Sarita. You stand a better chance of staying alive after Tony finds out what we're doing than I do."

Chapter 5

Gibbs walked into Autopsy to find the doctor seated at his desk. There were several bodies waiting for his attention, but he was not giving them any. Today was turning into a day of surprises, he thought. "What'd ya have for me, Ducky?"

"I've finished my report on the Goodison case."

"You didn't call me down here to tell me that."

"No, you're quite right. Mr. Palmer has run an errand and I thought this would be a good time to address those questions you have."

Gibbs smiled at the not so subtle hint. "You mean about Tony and Sarita?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"What do you make of it?"

"It's a very interesting situation. On the one hand, you have one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world asking for protection even though she can well afford her very own security company. And she's not just asking for any old protection, she's asking for a specific person to protect her: our very own Anthony DiNozzo."

Gibbs listened to him lay it out.

"On the other hand, you have a very unsuspecting field agent who has never mentioned his involvement with this woman, which we all know is most unusual and very much out of character. But did you pay attention to the instant when they saw each other? It wasn't what one might expect from two long lost friends, or even lovers. After the point of recognition, there was a moment of sadness on her part, and a moment of… _fear_ on his part. Her sadness gave way to happiness, but his fear never gave way to anything other than more uncertainty and anxiety. She also went to him, but he didn't move towards her."

"What do you make of that?"

"Well, it speaks to Tony's reluctance to bring her back into his life. Even after they greeted each other, Tony seemed anxious to move both him and her out of the spotlight, again something very out of character for our Anthony. She read him quite easily, almost too easily, which is why she agreed to meet him later in the afternoon, probably so he could come to terms with her being back in his life, whatever that means. It all adds up to one thing, Jethro. There is only one reason to keep a friendship like this a secret: and that is to keep _another_ secret."

It made perfect sense when Ducky dissected it like that. The problem was, if the secret was of such a magnitude that Tony kept his relationship with world renowned artist, Sarita Villanova, hidden, then maybe the secret wasn't meant to be discovered.

Maybe the secret shouldn't be uncovered.

Chapter 6

Tony couldn't get away from Evidence fast enough. It had been a long time since anyone there had been glad to see him, but right now, they were falling over each other to help him. In just a matter of minutes, he had catapulted to celebrity status. People who he used to bother were now bothering him! He wanted to disappear into one of the evidence bags and be placed on the shelf and forgotten about. The agent actually gave that some thought, as if there could be some validity in there somewhere, but of course, reality hit in the form of Abby Scuito.

"Tony! I've been looking for you, but I have to admit not too hard… McGee told me you were down here."

A small part of him was relieved; a larger part of him was unnerved.

"I know you just checked in the evidence to… well, 'Evidence', but can you check it back out again? I wanted to run a different test on it that Norfolk didn't run. I think they'll need the results when they take this case to court."

"Don't make me go back in there, Abby… the questions… the comments…Geesh, Abs, you'd think I was friends with the damn President of the United States with the way they're acting."

Abby cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, "You have to admit, Tony, this is huge. You know 'Sarita', and you kept that a secret! It's actually bigger than knowing the President, but," she took his arm when he looked like he might try and escape, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you, you know that, don't you?"

Tony smiled at the Goth. If she could help him, he'd let her, but the problem was way bigger than she could imagine. Besides, there was no fixing this problem, and that's about the time the room started to shrink and the walls began to close in. God how he wished he could rewind the morning and not have even come in today.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He swallowed, used her to regain his balance and nodded, "Just tired."

"Listen, why don't you wait right here and I'll get the evidence if you'd prefer. But you have to promise me you'll stay here. Promise?"

When Abby turned away, he walked to the men's room. The cool water on his face should have made him feel better, but it only reminded him of her. He stared at his reflection a full minute, clearly not seeing it. Why did she have to come back into his life? Why couldn't she leave well enough alone?

"Excuse me, Tony?" Special Agent Balboa said poking his head into the men's room. "Ms. Scuito is out here looking for you, and," he hedged some before blurting it out, "well, she sorta scares me."

Chapter 7

Ziva and McGee were punching away on their keyboards when Gibbs returned. If anyone was paying attention, they would have seen the slightest upward turn of his mouth, indicating his satisfaction with their actions. A furtive glance at Ziva told him that she was knee deep in a background check on Tony, and he didn't even have to look at McGee to know he was knee deep in Sarita's background. He was training them well, and they were learning well.

Since there were a few queries of his own he wanted to make, he began typing on his keyboard, thinking that the secret being concealed wasn't going to be uncovered in a background search. Whatever the secret, it had passed the test of time; it had even passed the vetting process by the media when Sarita bounded onto the world stage. Besides, his gut was telling him that the secret wasn't so much her secret as it was his.

Something made him stop and look up. The empty chair of his senior field agent reminded him that Tony wasn't invincible; in fact, he was actually quite vulnerable. Over the years, he'd hidden behind all sorts of facades and expertly deflected questions with his goofiness. But it was a front that served mainly to protect himself. It was a skill he had long ago mastered, but the tables had now turned on him, and he was going to have to pull on latent talents if he had a prayer of handling this kind of scrutiny. Leaning back, he wondered if he really wanted to probe into Tony's past and uncover this secret. His gut told him no; his brain told him yes. To complicate matters, if he wanted his agent to make it through this unscathed, whatever 'this' may be, he had better have a plan to deal with the aftermath.

The local newspaper was always a good place to start. He found several in Connecticut that had a large circulation back in the 1970's; unfortunately, anything earlier than 1986 was on microfiche, and he had to request it separately. He had time. What alerted him to the presence of a person was the lack of sound. The clicking on keyboards had stopped and the phone conversations ceased. He looked up in time to watch Sarita dismiss her body guard, telling him, "I'll be fine, Clive, I'll be with NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and I'll be with him around the clock."

Clive, a man whose head was attached directly to his shoulders, mumbled, "He ain't here, Ma'am. You pay me to protect you, not him."

"I'm paying you to do what I tell you," she tersely correctly. "For the next three days I'll be attached to Anthony DiNozzo, and I don't want you or anyone else interfering with that." Seeing his reaction, she changed her tune and offered a more conciliatory explanation, "Clive, I know you're worried, but I'll be with Tony, and if you knew him like I know him, you'd know that he'll take very good care of me. I'll be okay, I promise." When she smiled, few men—hell, few _people_ could resist her. She waited until the elevator doors closed between them before she turned and entered the bullpen.

Gibbs admired her over the top of his computer. "Can I help you, Miss Villanova?"

"Thank you. I'm waiting for Tony. Your director told me to come back at one o'clock, and I know I'm early, but I'm anxious to see him again, maybe catch up on some old times."

She barely got the last part out, swallowing the words as she said them. Maybe catching up on some old times was a bad idea. She looked nervously around, understanding the expression on the agents' faces. Finally she offered, "I know you probably have more questions than I have answers, especially since it's evident that Tony has never mentioned me to you before."

Ziva acknowledged, "You are right, he has not mentioned that he knows you."

"I guess that doesn't surprise me. Tony was never one to talk about something when he didn't want to."

"Why doesn't he want to?" Gibbs asked, knowing the question was a long shot, but he had to ask anyway.

The blonde tossed her hair back and looked around the place, ignoring the question. "Can I sit here?" she pointed to Tony's chair, "just until he comes back?"

Gibbs nodded, and noted the deflection.

She sat down and leaned back, catching McGee staring at her.

"Can I get you some coffee?" he stuttered, embarrassed.

"No, thank you."

He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was every bit as beautiful in person as she was on television: skin—smooth and blemish free; hair—blonde and wavy; eyes—so blue the ocean would be jealous. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

She smiled at the agent, immune to his infatuation, "Not at all."

"Just how do you know Tony?"

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on his desk and smiled, "He and I grew up together. We were neighbors, if you can call it that—we lived next to each other but our houses were a mile apart. He lived at the end of the street, overlooking the river, on an estate called Pemberley."

"Pemberly? As in Jane Austen?" McGee mused.

"Yes, Mrs. DiNozzo was a huge fan and named it Pemberley the day they bought it. It really does resemble the mansion overlooking the pond. Anyway, I lived up the river about a mile. After his mother and brother were killed, he didn't spend much time there—too many memories for him, I guess—and we became close… very close."

Gibbs, Ziva and McGee read each other's mind, _'Brother?'_

"He did not mention that he had a brother," Ziva stated.

"He took the loss particularly hard. Marco was a few years older and he idealized him. Tony was the pesky little brother, but Marco never seemed to mind him being around. He was such a nice boy and everyone felt the pain of his death. But no one more than Mr. DiNozzo. He didn't know how to handle the loss of his wife _and_ son. The way he chose to deal with their deaths was to take off on business trips for long stretches of time, leaving Tony in the care of—"

Gibbs tilted his head at the abrupt stop.

She lowered her voice and continued, "… not really anyone. The servants would try and look after him but he was too much for them. Not much fun for an eight year old, I suppose."

Ziva and McGee exchanged glances. McGee encouraged her to continue, "What was your address?"

"1311 Morning Song Way. My parents still live there."

He punched a few keys on his keyboard and sent the satellite image to the plasma screen.

When she realized what she was looking at, she walked over and admired the estate. "That's it. That's my house—well, my parent's house. Tony lived at 1300 Morning Song Way."

McGee sent another aerial image to the screen. "Whoa," he said, shocked at the size and elegance of the property. The mansion, situated between rolling green pastures and dense woods, was bounded by a winding river in the back and a winding road in the front. The house was built atop a hill and was much larger than her house with its well manicured grounds and stables and tennis courts on either side, and what appeared to be a heli-pad sat on the outskirts of the property.

Sarita agreed, "Yeah, Tony grew up on the largest estate in Connecticut. In 1976, it was given the prestigious bi-centennial award, which was no easy feat considering the competition only included estates over ten million dollars in the mid-Atlantic. But Tony grew to hate it and he'd leave every chance he got. He'd hop on his dirt bike and ride over to my house, and we'd go down to the river. I remember one time, I fell in and he damn near drowned saving me. After that, we'd go into my basement and pretend we were rock stars. He would play the piano and I would sing. We belted out song after song until Tony decided we needed something more to round out our performances. He was the brains behind everything we did," she paused a moment, allowing herself to remember a simpler life. "Anyway, he went out and recruited a kid to be our drummer, and that was fine until he decided we needed a guitar player, but instead of recruiting one, he just picked up a guitar and started playing. We covered all the great hits by the stars of the time: Madonna, Foreigner, Whitney…" She smiled again and seemed to enjoy reminiscing about that time of her life.

Gibbs studied her. She was genuine and there was no reason for her to be telling them anything unless she wanted to.

"Did you know Tony is a song writer?" she asked with an enthusiasm that bordered on admiration.

Ziva shook her head, as did McGee.

"Oh yes!" she added, thoroughly enjoying being able to share this information. "He's one of the best songwriters I've ever known. He wrote—" But she cut herself off, again. This time, she wasn't able to cover it as easily. She had slipped and whatever it was she was protecting Tony from wasn't going to be easy for her to keep. "Um, he has written a few songs that I've sung, but he won't take any credit for them."

"Like what?" Ziva asked.

"—What's going on?" Tony said, entering the bullpen and throwing an angry glare at the plasma screen.

McGee punched a key and the picture disappeared, "Miss Villanova was showing us your neighborhood."

The beautiful blonde took his hand and said, "It was nothing, Tony. I was telling them about growing up in Connecticut, that's all."

Tony slid his hand out of hers and walked to his desk. "I've read your file, Sarah, you're staying in DC at the Hilton. I don't have to remind you that's where Ronald Reagan was shot."

"You don't, and I know." She followed him to his desk.

"The threat on your life is credible. You should consider cancelling your concert tomorrow night."

Gibbs studied his agent's demeanor. He was all business and not a joke or movie reference anywhere close to his mind.

"I was hoping to get you up on stage with me," she cooed, ignoring his concern.

"Tony? On stage? Now that's something I would pay money to see," Ziva said.

"Not a chance," Tony replied. He turned to face the beautiful blonde and his expression went from agent to friend. "I shouldn't be protecting you, Sarah. Ziva or McGee would be better qualified."

"There's nobody more qualified than you." She touched his arm and looked him square in the eye. "I've missed you. I've missed us."

There was a flicker of longing in his eyes, but just as quickly it disappeared, "There is no us, Sarah."

An awkward silence followed. Gibbs let it linger in the air on purpose, studying his senior field agent. Finally, he said, "You say you're going to keep your concert date?"

"Yes," she reluctantly pulled her gaze away and looked at Gibbs. "I have no intention of changing anything. This isn't the first time I've been threatened and no doubt it won't be the last. It's the price we pay."

"Miss Villanova—"

"—Sarita, please, or Sarah, but not Miss Villanova. It sounds too much like my mother. That's not a bad thing, but my friends call me Sarita, and my dearest friends," she shot a furtive glance over her shoulder, "call me Sarah."

Gibbs continued, "Sarita, someone will be with you at all times, but it's virtually impossible to protect you on stage. Unless…" A plan was forming in his head, but he needed to know a little more information. "Tony, have you finished the Goodison report?"

"Almost. I'm waiting on one last test from Abby."

"Take Sarita back to her hotel. Check it out and stay with her."

For a split second, it looked to Gibbs like he was going to protest. But just as rapidly, he acquiesced, replying, "Right."

He pulled his weapon and picked up his backpack. It was then that he caught her expression and his softened. He paused, looking down on her smiling face. He had missed her very much over the years. But she was also a memory of his past that he had tried to bury. He wanted to talk to her, to hold her, to make love to her again, but those things would only produce more pain. Like a switch, he turned those feelings off and escorted her towards the elevators, mindful of the eyes following them. If he could just make it through the next three days…

Chapter 8

Gibbs watched them leave and then sat patiently until the elevator door had closed, then he stood up and asked, "What'd ya find, McGee?"

The young agent startled for a only a split second, wondering how Gibbs knew he'd been searching for information, but this was Gibbs and Gibbs knows all. "Sarita was born the same year as Tony and she lived in that house on Morning Song Way with her family until she was 18. At that time, she had secured a recording contract and began renting an apartment in New York City near the recording studio. Her first album, _Passionate Crimes_, went platinum. She went on to make appearances on some of the top television shows in the 90's until she landed the coveted "Bond Girl" role in the 1999 installment of the James Bond flick. In 2002, she was named the "Prettiest Woman in the World" by People Magazine and has pretty much stayed in the top three since then. Along the way, she's won just about every award imaginable. As her popularity soared world-wide, so too did her lack of privacy. Needing some time off, she took a respite from the business for a couple of years and married her manager, but that only last two years. In 2005, she went back to the recording studio, co-writing and recording some of her best music with some of the greatest musicians of our time. With the exception of a few cameo roles, she pretty much sticks to singing these days."

"Ziva."

"Tony grew up on the estate known as Pemberley. Tony's mother and evidently his brother, Marco, were killed when Tony was eight, leaving just him and his father. Tony's father dealt with the loss by submerging himself into his work, being away for long periods of time. Tony attended the prestigious private school, Flint Hill Prep School, before being recruited to play basketball at Ohio State University. It does not appear he and Sarita kept a relationship after he went off to college and she to New York."

"Actually," McGee continued, reading from his screen, "there seems to be a mystery man in her life that is the big gossip in the entertainment world. There's a lot written about a man that's never been identified, but with the exception of this one photo, nobody has been able to prove it." He sent a grainy profile picture of Sarita on the arm of a man to the plasma.

"Can you clear it up?"

"I can try." McGee played around with the photo, isolating the man's profile and sharpening the contrast. It became evident that the physical traits of the man were very similar to DiNozzo's.

"Again," Ziva said, "why would Tony hide the fact that he knows this woman, and he's been seeing her? I would tell the world and then some if I were seeing Brad Pitt or George Clooney or even Jon Bon Jovi."

McGee and Gibbs looked at her.

"What? I happen to like older men."

"McGee, I want five years worth of back issues of the Connecticut Gazette, beginning with the date Tony's mother was killed."

"Right."

"Ziva, I want you to identify that mystery man. See if you can put a date to that photo. Also, run Sarita's cell phone records and see who comes up."

"On it."

Chapter 9

Tony sat in the back seat of the biggest limousine he'd ever been in. Looking around, he commented, "The last time I was in one of these, my car was blown up."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Long story; sad ending. Sarah, why are you here? I thought we agreed that seeing each other wasn't a good idea, especially since we almost got caught the last time."

"I know, and we did agree. But I've had a change of heart since then. I miss you, Tony. I miss us! I've tried to let it go, but I can't. What we share—"

"—We don't share anything! We can't! I can't go back, and you shouldn't either. And I definitely don't want to remember."

"Maybe you don't, but somebody out there does." She pulled a piece of paper from her bag and handed it over.

Tony opened it slowly. He read it three times before asking, "Where'd you get this?"

"It came last week. Whoever sent it was able to bypass my security and practically hand it to me. This isn't some fly by night stalker, Tony, this person knows something."

She was afraid, and it showed in her voice, although someone who didn't know her as well might not pick up on it. He saw the moisture as it filled her eyes and he was instantly catapulted to another time. He pulled her in close to him and she snuggled against his chest. Toying with the button on his shirt, she quietly admitted, "I thought that this was behind us. I really thought that you and I would go to our grave with this secret."

'_So did I,'_ Tony thought. "We'll figure something out." He pulled her closer, refreshed by her scent and fighting with himself to stay focused when his feelings were all mixed up inside.

TBC

**Any an all comments are welcome and they help keep my muse alive. I have two endings that I'm toying with at the moment. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all who have commented. I really do appreciate it. I'm working hard on the ending. **

Chapter 10

"C'mon, Tony! Open up!" McGee shouted through the closed double doors. Both he and Ziva stood in the foyer outside the penthouse suite, which required a special cardkey on the elevator just to reach. Marble floors and genuine imported Italian furniture made this hotel suite the room of preference among world-class celebrities and dignitaries, not to mention all the amenities that came included, such as its own personal doorman, who had been supplemented by several beefier and better armed NCIS personnel. It was DC's version of Ft. Knox, only for people.

Ziva said, "He is not answering; I say we break in."

McGee was just about to agree when the door swung open.

"Do you mind? Some people are trying to sleep around here."

The two agents stared at their colleague who was only wearing a pair of black silk pajama bottoms. "Tony! You are supposed to be protecting her, NOT sleeping with her!" Ziva chastised.

"According to the Director, if she says jump, I'm to ask, 'How high?' If you don't like it, I suggest you take it up with him."

They followed him down a short hallway and into a spacious sitting area, complete with a grand piano and mini bar. He didn't stop there, but continued through an archway, down another short hallway that opened up into a much larger living room. Sarita stepped inside from the balcony wearing the top half of his black silk jams. "Hi, Officer David and Special Agent McGee."

Ziva averted her eyes from the pajama clad woman. In an effort more to squelch her own jealousy than to be friendly, she said, "Please, call me Ziva."

"And me, Tim."

"Okay. I hope you're not here to take him away," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head against his chest. "I have him now and I don't plan on letting him go."

"You have a rehearsal to attend. If you do not make it there, a lot of people are going to be unhappy," Ziva stated, trying hard to mask her feelings. She wasn't sure what she hated more: the fact that she felt that way, or the fact that she had to hide it.

"Okay," Sarita sighed. "It'll only take me a minute to get ready."

McGee was unaware that he was staring until he felt the slap on his chest. "Sorry, Ziva, but you have to admit that it's not every day we get a chance to meet a celebrity like Sarita, let alone in her bedroom."

"I'll tell you what, McOgle, I'll be the bigger person and let you take her to rehearsal."

"Really? That would be great, Tony." McGee's excitement was interrupted by his phone ringing. He looked at the LCD, then answered, "Yeah, Boss?" He listened a minute and furrowed his brow, "—Bu-but, Boss, we were hoping to watch some of the rehearsal— Boss?" He closed his phone and announced, "That was Gibbs. After we escort Tony and Sarita to the venue, we're to report back to NCIS."

"What?" Tony exclaimed.

"You heard me."

"But my shift is over," Tony objected, "Give me your phone!" He snatched the device from his partner and speed dialed.

Ziva and McGee exchanged a glance and waited patiently, knowing the outcome before it happened.

Chapter 11

Tony sat in the front row of the fifty thousand seat arena. Four technicians were pulling wire under the stage while another was perched on a ladder hanging a two thousand watt halogen spot light from a metal beam. Half a dozen others were milling around directing workers and referencing clip boards. Thirty-six hours from now, the venue would be sold out, and the workers would see the fruits of their labor pay off.

There was a calmness and serenity in the air that was far different from the outside world. When Sarita walked on stage, he instantly knew why she felt comfortable there. No one turned or looked her way, no one gave her a second glance; there were no flashing lights, clicking cameras or shouting voices from adoring fans. She was simply one piece of the production. He caught himself staring: a petite girl with a small bone structure but large stage presence. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, like Ziva's, and she wore little make-up, also similar to the Moussad operative. And she no doubt was as good at her craft as the Israeli was at hers.

"What are you seeing?"

Tony snapped out of his trance and bristled, embarrassed at being caught. "You, and what you've done with your life."

"Do you approve?" Sarah asked.

He nodded, half in admiration and half in envy.

She sat down next to him and said, "You should be up here with me. It's your songs that got me here, and your tenacity that wouldn't let me quit. Without you, Tony, no telling what would have happened to me."

"Don't sell yourself short, Sarah. You would be doing exactly what you're doing now, with or without me."

"Not true. If it weren't for you, I may not even be alive."

He turned away. They had skirted the issue yesterday and all morning, and it was obvious she wanted to talk about it, but it was equally obvious that he didn't. "It is what it is, and we can't change what happened. You are a famous celebrity and I'm a federal agent. You are great at what you do, and I'm not half bad at what I do. But by coming to me, at the very least, our careers are in jeopardy, and at the most, our lives are in jeopardy. And prison is lurking somewhere in between.

"I know, and I'm sorry, really sorry. But I didn't know where else to turn."

He dropped his head so they were almost touching foreheads, and whispered, "I'm glad you came to me and didn't try to handle it on your own."

She smiled, relieved by what she heard. "What are we going to do about that note?"

"I'm going to try to get our forensics' scientist to analyze it. There's no doubt that she'll provide me with a lead, it's the questions she'll ask that has me bothered." He studied her a moment, realizing that she was more scared than she wanted to let on. Tenderly he reached for her hand and whispered, "It'll be okay. I promise."

"I know; everything's okay when I'm with you."

Chapter 12

Ducky and Abby appeared in the bullpen, wearing expectant expressions.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"We were wondering if we could leave a few hours early today?"

"Why?"

Abby hedged, "We thought we might be able to go to Sarita's rehearsal? Tony's there and I heard she puts on a great show."

"Have you finished processing all the evidence on the Goodison case?"

"Yessir! Processed, catalogue, and filed."

"Good." Turning towards his junior officer, he asked, "Whad'ya have, McGee?"

McGee sent images to the plasma, "I scanned the data on the microfiche to files and uploaded everything from the Connecticut Gazette that matched the search criteria. Then I ran another search and cross checked for names and dates that corresponded to—"

"—McGee!"

"Sorry, Boss. I found the obituaries on Mrs. DiNozzo and her son." Two short articles appeared side by side on the plasma. One included a faded picture of a smiling brunette, making it obvious where Tony got his smile from, and the other, a boy who could have easily passed as Tony's twin. "About a year later, there were several more articles about Mr. DiNozzo and his business ventures. Sarita wasn't kidding when she said he poured himself into his work. He made millions on top of his millions over the next couple of years." The plasma screen switched to a photo of a much younger Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. standing alongside a dark skinned turban clad gentleman. "Much of his success can be attributed to bringing in a partner, Abdullah Mohamed, who helped him secure overseas contracts and serve as the liaison between his U.S. holdings and those in the Middle East. I couldn't find anything written about Sarita or her family."

"Ziva."

"I found out the name of the photographer," she said while displaying the grainy picture of Sarita and her mystery man, "a Mr. Robert Wilson, a Paparazzi out of Los Angeles. I called him to get the negative, but he doesn't have it. Evidently, it now belongs to the magazine he sold the picture to. I am in the process of securing a warrant to get it. Mr. Wilson was very helpful and said he had other pictures of the couple and he'd be happy to sell them to us. The warrant will cover both."

"When will we have those negatives?"

"This afternoon."

"McGee, I want to know more about Tony and Sarita's relationship; Ziva, you're with me."

"Gibbs?" Abby interrupted. "What about us?"

"C'mon, you're coming with me too."

Chapter 13

Abby stood at the side entrance to the stage, overlooking the activities. She never could hide her thoughts, and if her face was any indication of what she was thinking, her expression was a cross between childish fascination and gothic admiration.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but the backup dancers are meeting in the Blue Room."

Abby looked at the technician before realizing he was speaking to her. "Oh no! I'm not a dancer! Well, not for this show at least, I do dance, but not like this. I'm here to watch!"

She didn't think he heard her reply as he had already slid past her and was half way down the corridor by the time she had finished talking.

"This is a closed rehearsal, people," a high-pitched whiny voice drew their attention. Snapping his fingers to get their attention, he continued, "Excuse me, people! If you don't leave, I'll have security escort you off the premises."

Gibbs flashed his badge, "We're with NCIS, assigned to protect Sarita."

The man scrutinized the badge before begrudgingly adding, "What can we do for you, Agent Gibbs?"

"Nothing. We're just here to observe."

The man smirked. He suspected it was just a ploy to see the celebrity's show without paying. "Sarita's talking to her choreographer over there, and your agent is down front," he said while waving them off.

Abby whispered to Ducky, "Rather snippy for someone who, you would think, would want to protect his boss."

Tony looked relieved when he saw his colleagues approach, "Hey, Boss. You here to take over?"

Gibbs smiled and answered the question with a question, "Whad'ya have for me?"

"There're three perimeters around her at all times. I have to tell ya, Boss, that her security detail is very sophisticated."

Gibbs waited expectantly, silently conveying that he didn't give a damn about HER security detail.

"Four men comprise the first ring, close by and in contact. The second ring has the physical building, securing doors and windows, basically any ingresses and egresses. And the outer detail, or third ring, covers virtual access and variables, like packages, boxes, and catering. I have to admit, Boss, that they're doing a much better—" he decided not to finish his sentence based on the glare aimed at him. Instead, he pointed out, "_I_ have been with the target non-stop since yesterday and I'd like to remind you that other people," he directed his comment at Ziva, "are equally as qualified, if not better, at thwarting personal attacks as I am."

"Tony!" Abby said, catching up to the group, "has she come out and sung yet?"

"No, right now they're putting the final touches on the stage. I think I heard someone say they'll begin rehearsal after lunch."

Abby did a modified jumping up and down and a silent clapping of her hands before she moved to the center seat of the first row and sat down. That's when Tony got an idea, but it meant he had to separate her from the rest of the group. It became even more challenging when Ducky followed her and sunk down in the seat right beside her.

"DiNozzo!"

Tony brought his attention back around to his boss, "Sorry, Boss. What did you ask?"

Annoyed, Gibbs walked away. Ziva stayed behind and observed, "You seem distracted today. Are you having trouble concentrating, perhaps thinking about your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

She studied him a minute, and then added, "You are not telling us something, Tony."

He looked at her, masking his concern over her tenacity, Gibbs' gut, and McGee's intellect; his secret didn't stand a chance. "I thought I made my wishes perfectly clear. It's time someone else took over."

She stared after him as he walked away.

Chapter 14

Tony slipped out and found Sarita in her dressing room. She was surrounded by designers and seamstresses and he had to wait ten minutes before she was alone and could talk. "How much are you willing to lose?"

"What?"

"If it gets out, if the world learns of what we did, are you willing to lose your career over it?"

She pondered the question, having asked it of herself many times. She always knew it was a matter of _when_, and not _if_, their secret would emerge. She had more money than she could possibly spend in a lifetime, so if funding stopped, she could still live. What she couldn't live without was singing. It was her escape and her salvation. No matter what, she thought, nobody could take that away. Even if she lost her career, she could always sing. Besides, many an artist had made a comeback after seemingly insurmountable odds. She looked at the handsome man and thought, _'with the right people around me, I could do anything.'_ "If you're in my life, I could lose everything and still make it."

He wasn't so optimistic. "I'll probably be in prison."

Chapter 15

Tony slipped into the ladies room behind Abby. He may have entered unnoticed by the workers in the corridor, but Abby had been waiting for him. "You've been watching me and following me around for the past hour. If you wanted to get me alone, you just had to ask."

Tony wished it were that simple. "Abby, I need your help." He pulled the note, now wrapped in plastic, from his breast pocket. "Can you analyze this? See if you can find anything on it?"

She took the plastic and shrugged. It was like any other piece of paper so the short answer was yes. But the much longer question begged to be asked.

"Don't ask me any questions, Abby, please? You don't want to know the answers."

Suddenly, her demeanor changed from 'What's-this-all-about?' to 'Now-you're-scaring-me', and since she wore her emotions on her sleeve, it was easy to tell what she was thinking.

"Keep this between us, too. Gibbs, Ziva, Ducky… they don't need to know, okay?"

"Are you okay?"

Tony swallowed. He hadn't been okay in years, but she didn't need his burdens. "Yeah, just promise me that you'll keep this between us. A lot's at stake, Abs. Promise?"

Abby slid the plastic bag into her purse and studied Tony like she would study her younger brother when she was helping him out of a mess. "Promise," she finally replied.

He pulled a "Gibbs" and kissed her forehead, "Thanks, Abby. I owe you."

Alone in the ladies room, she began to feel the magnitude of the problem. She suddenly realized that whatever Tony was involved in, it was dangerous and most likely dangerous for Sarita as well. She stared in the mirror, clearly not seeing herself.

Chapter 16

McGee jumped up from behind his desk and approached Gibbs and Ziva with the remote directing their attention to the plasma. "I called the school where Tony attended. Unfortunately, there are no teachers left from when he went there, but there is one volunteer named Miss Kidwell. She's a retired teacher who remembers both Sarita and Tony. She told me that after Tony's mother died, he missed a lot of school. The accidents and injuries were dismissed by administrators as simply boys-will-be-boys, but she had her reservations."

"Like what?" Gibbs asked.

"She was reluctant to discuss the particulars, but she said at the time nobody asked too many questions, especially since Mr. DiNozzo was a major benefactor to the school. Officially, Tony was an active child with little supervision, so it was no wonder that he was in and out of the hospital a lot. However, she said she did not buy that explanation."

"Why not?"

"She wouldn't say."

"Get her on the phone."

McGee picked up his phone and dialed. "Miss Kidwell, this is Special Agent Timothy McGee from NCIS. Do you remember speaking to me earlier?" The team waited patiently. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put you on speaker phone so you can speak with my boss, Special Agent Gibbs." McGee pressed the button and replaced the receiver. "Can you hear us okay, Miss Kidwell?"

"Yes, I can hear you fine," the voice of a centurion, or close to it, replied. "But I told you everything that I can remember. I don't know how I can be of any more help to you."

"Ma'am, this is Special Agent Gibbs, I'd like to ask you a question about something you reported. You said that Tony DiNozzo was in and out of hospitals a lot as a child, but you didn't believe they were accidents."

The line was quiet, almost dead.

"Miss Kidwell? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," she replied, her voice shaking. "You're quite right, Agent Gibbs, I didn't believe they were accidents, but I didn't have any proof to the contrary."

"What do you think happened?"

"Black eyes, broken bones and extensive bruising might happen occasionally to young boys, especially when they're as active and mischievous as Anthony, but not at the rate that he suffered them. And I didn't buy the argument that he was in fights. He was such a fun loving boy and everybody got along well with him."

"If not fights, then what?"

"I believe he was beaten by his father. I have no proof, but I've seen my share of child abuse and I think he was abused."

Gibbs lowered his head, forcing that thought aside, then asked, "What do you know about Sarah Villanova and Tony DiNozzo's relationship?"

"They were friends, good friends, in the way children are friends. She could keep up with him athletically and he could keep up with her musically. I know that Tony spent a lot of time with the Villanova family after his mother and Marco died, but Mr. Villanova didn't like him much. 'Young Anthony was wild and untamed,' is what was written in his school file. I guess Mr. Villanova felt that way, too."

"Is there anything else you can remember concerning Tony or Sarah?"

"Well, let me think… there was an incident that happened, but they were in high school, no—it was middle school. I seem to recall something that involved them, but I can't remember the details… and I think it was considered Code Blue."

"Code Blue?" Gibbs asked, "What's that?"

"It was the school's way of saying: 'don't ask about it.' So we didn't. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"You've done just fine, Miss Kidwell."

"Agent Gibbs, is there a reason for all these questions? I don't always get a chance to keep up with my former students, but I do know that Sarah is a big celebrity and Tony went into law enforcement. Has something happened to them?"

"They're fine, and thank you, Miss Kidwell, for all your help. If we need you for anything else, we'll call." McGee clicked off.

Gibbs turned to him and asked, "You get the negatives?"

"Yes. I took them to Abby's lab."

Frustrated, Gibbs threw out a question, "What do we know?"

"Well," McGee began, "we know that Tony kept his relationship with Sarita Villanova a secret. We know that Sarita specifically requested Tony to protect her, potentially exposing the reason for their secrecy."

"Or trying to protect him," Gibbs slid in.

"We can logically conclude that whatever the threat is against her, it is directly connected to Tony."

Ziva continued, "We know that whatever it is, however great it may be, that neither Sarita nor Tony are willing, or perhaps capable, of telling anyone. We can conclude that the consequences are probably grave."

Gibbs added, "We also know that Tony may have been the victim of child abuse. McGee, I want medical records pulled on Tony from the time he was born. I also want medical records pulled on Sarita."

"On it."

Ziva, see if you can locate any of the staff who worked in Tony's house."

"Right."

Gibbs sat down at this desk and pondered the words of Miss Kidwell. It was most likely that Tony was an abused child. This wasn't a case that he could disassociate himself in order to get the job done; this was Tony, a member of his team, and he felt the anger begin to build towards the adults in Tony's life.

Chapter 17

Gibbs stopped when he heard his name. His internal clock had told him he should have stopped by Vance's office earlier, and now he was going to pay for having ignored it.

"Yeah?"

"A minute, please, in my office," Vance said.

Gibbs closed the door behind him and waited.

"Status of the Sarita Villanova detail."

"DiNozzo's with her now and has been with her since yesterday afternoon. The arena is covered and she's planning on performing as scheduled."

"Have you figured out why she requested DiNozzo?"

"Nope."

"What _have_ you figured out?"

Gibbs hesitated. He just wanted to do his job and if his gut was any indication, time was of the essence. "I'll let you know when I've got something. Right now, I have to come up with a way to convince DiNozzo to perform with Sarita tonight. It's not something I can order him to do, but I think it would help if he did."

"If it helps ensure her safety, I'll order it."

Gibbs turned and walked away, smiling; sometimes his job was too easy.

Chapter 18

Tony watched the rehearsal alone, sitting in the upper tier of the middle section. He found himself going back down memory lane and remembering the basement concerts that they'd put on and the jamming sessions they had, all to the annoyance of her father. By comparison, Mr. Villanova was a great father, but Tony had to remind himself that the bar wasn't exactly set high. His memories of his own father were so few that he had etched into his brain each and every time he had had a good time with him.

His phone rang and he looked at the ID, then answered with a crisp, "Yes, sir."

"Agent DiNozzo, this is Director Vance. How's the rehearsal going?"

"Fine, Director. It's going to be a spectacular performance."

"Good. I want you up on stage with her."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. She requested it and I'm granting it. I don't care if all you do is hold her microphone, you will be on that stage when she performs."

"But—"

"That's all, Agent DiNozzo."

Tony heard the dead sound of silence but he still tried to protest, "Sir? Sir!"

"Shit!" he exclaimed.

"Bad news?"

Tony turned around to see the stage manager sitting behind him. "Yeah, it's bad news."

"You being up on stage?"

He shot the guy a confused look, "Yeah, but how'd you know?"

"News travels fast in the industry. Hell, if I want to know what songs she's going to sing, I read the daily rags. Don't worry about it. She tells me that you're pretty good; in fact, she claims you wrote most of the songs on her first album?"

Ignoring his question, he stated, "I don't want to be up there."

The manager studied him, and then added, "Don't worry about it. We'll get you up there without much problem."

"Thanks, I think."

"Don't mention it. She's my bread and butter and if anything happens to her, a lot of people are looking for new jobs."

Tony looked at him sideways, thinking his comment was somewhat callous. But in the entertainment business, he suspected that's just the way it was. He leaned back, contemplating his role as the newest member of Sarita's band.

Chapter 19

"Abby, what'd'ya have for me?" Gibbs asked walking briskly into her lab.

Catching her off guard, she quickly blanked out the screen and looked at him guiltily.

He stared back at her, waiting. Finally, he asked, "Abs? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm not doing anything that I'm not supposed to be doing!"

He studied her a minute longer, waiting for her to blurt something more out, but she remained silent. He asked, "Did you get the negatives that McGee left?"

Visibly relieved, she replied, "Yes, I got them." She clicked open several screens to display grainy images that were similar to the original photo. "Quality isn't much better on these than the photo we already have."

"Any distinguishing features on the man?"

"If you mean anything that might identify him as Tony, then yes…, and no. The brand shoes are Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 iD, limited edition. That's what Tony wears, but so do about a thousand other people in the Metropolitan area. When I run this image through the GONAD software—"

Gibbs looked amused.

"Don't laugh, Gibbs! It's public domain software still in the testing stages. They named it GONAD as a joke, but it stuck so now they're stuck with the name. It's a pretty decent piece of software though and according to it, the man in the picture is almost a perfect physical match to Tony: 6'2", 182 pounds, size 12 shoe. I realize that this matches a lot of other people, but if I had Tony's measurements, I could match it even further."

"Good work, Abs." As he was leaving, he spotted a piece of paper enclosed in plastic. It was not part of any evidence he'd seen before and so he picked it up.

Abby turned around just in time to see him reading it. "Gibbs! You can't see that!"

Ignoring her, he read the note. Turning to look at her, he asked, "What is this?"

She bit her lip, remembering her promise to Tony. "I can't tell you. I promised."

"Where'd you get it?"

"I can't tell you. I promised."

"Did Tony give this to you to analyze?"

"I can't tell you. I promised."

"I can promise you something right now if you don't start answering my questions!"

Abby turned back to her computer and opened the screen she had earlier minimized. Displayed on both screens was the note. It read:

** _I know what you did. Both you and Anthony DiNozzo will pay for it. You will live long enough to see each other suffer._**

She looked up at Gibbs, trying not to think about her promise to Tony. The look on Gibbs' face pretty much moved any fear she had of Tony finding out what she'd done and put it right here in her lab.

Gibbs quietly toned, "What did you find?"

"Not much. The paper is 110-pound card stock, primarily used for announcements and invitations. This brand is from the American Stationery Company which distributes only to the Mid-Atlantic states. The writing is done with a ball point pen, sold anywhere, but it's interesting to note the lettering. The contour of each letter and the slant of the words would suggest two things: one, that the writer did not learn to write his or her letters in this country, and two, that he or she may be left handed."

"Anything else?"

"I was able to capture a partial print and I'm running it through AFIS."

Gibbs' mind was spinning with all the information that was coming his way. Filtering through everything was his specialty, and he relied heavily on his team to help him determine what to keep and what to trash. Unfortunately, the team member who he relied on the most was proving as adept at hindering this investigation as he was at helping.

"Gibbs, I'm sorry. He made me promise and it's so hard to tell Tony no."

Gibbs fixed Abby with a stare, "Anything else that Tony gives you or asks you to do for him, you let me know, immediately. Got it?"

Not accustomed to seeing her boss like this, she nodded, not bothering to hide the fear and sadness that was all tied up tight inside her.

The facts rolled around Gibbs' head as he stood in the elevator. He had yet to press any buttons opting instead to wait in the darkened box. Tony and Sarita were involved in something together, something illegal, something career stopping. They parted their ways after high school, and nothing eventful happened in elementary school, so whatever it was, it occurred sometime within a five year span, between the ages of thirteen and seventeen.

"Ziva," Gibbs asked walking briskly by her desk, "when does Sarita's concert begin?"

"She goes on at 9:30."

He looked at his watch, they had just under three hours before both Tony and Sarita would be targets for one person among fifty thousand people. Unless she cancelled, they had to work fast.

"Boss," McGee started, "I got copies of all Tony's medical records." He began flashing one after the next on the screen, pulling out words that sounded like medical terms, but none of it was making much sense.

"Get Ducky up here."

Ducky and Palmer strolled in together. "I brought my protégé because I thought you might be interested in what he was asked to do."

Gibbs waited impatiently for Palmer to talk.

"Tony called me this afternoon with an unusual request. He wanted me to find out, discreetly, what Ziva and McGee were working on and get back to him. But, it was as if he already knew."

"Did you get back to him?"

Palmer hung his head in embarrassment, "Yes, I told him that they had run background checks on him."

McGee's heart skipped, and he stammered, "I'm dead. He's going to kill me."

"I will not let him kill you, McGee," Ziva assured. "He may do some damage, but he won't actually kill you."

"Ducky," Gibbs diverted his attention, "what do these records mean?"

The doctor studied the medical reports, using the remote to flip through page after page. "Let's see here… broken bones, dislocated shoulders, lacerations… They mean that our young Anthony spent as much time in a hospital as he did in a school."

"What's on the reports?"

"He had a broken arm and ribs here. This one is for treatment of a broken nose and jaw. This is for a dislocated shoulder and broken clavicle."

"What was listed as the cause?"

Ducky took a minute to study the form before saying, "On two occasions, it was attributed to a motorcycle accident."

"Is that consistent with the injuries?"

"It could be. But there are some records that have been redacted."

"A juvenile with sealed or redacted records? You know what that means, Duck."

"I'm afraid I do."

They all knew what sealed medical records of a minor meant: sexual abuse. There was a lingering silence until Gibbs asked, "When do the injuries stop?"

Ducky flipped through more pages and said, "It appears they stop around October. At least, there are no more incident reports after that time."

A ringing phone interrupted them and Ziva picked it up. "Yes, this is Officer David, thank you for returning my call." She mouthed to Gibbs who it was and he whispered, "Put her on speaker."

She pressed the speaker button and quietly laid the handset on the cradle. "Senora Delgado, estoy Senorita David con NCIS. Habla Inglesh?"

"Si, Senorita. I speak English well."

"We understand that you worked for Mr. Anthony DiNozzo as part of the housekeeping staff. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"What were you hired to do?" Ziva continued.

"I worked in the kitchen as their cook. They were wonderful people to work for, and Mrs. DiNozzo was not only a wonderful, loving mother to her boys, but she was a most generous employer. She gave me a large budget and allowed my daughter to help me."

"What can you tell us about Tony, er, Anthony?"

"Ah, il mio mischievous Tony. He was very energetic and a lot of fun to have around. He would come into the kitchen and ask a lot of questions and leave as quickly as he came. I would later realize he'd eaten my dinner!" she added with a soft chuckle. "Young Anthony was a ball of energy."

"Did you know Sarah Villanova?"

"Yes, they were good friends. They became closer after Mrs. DiNozzo and Marco were killed. That was a terrible time."

"Can you tell us about that time?"

"Not much to tell. After they died, young Anthony missed them terribly. Senor DiNozzo was gone most of the time, and Anthony didn't have any supervision. We tried to watch him; there was a staff of twenty who tried, but we couldn't keep up with him."

"When Mr. DiNozzo was gone, who was Tony left in the care of?"

"No one. I'm afraid he taught himself a lot of bad things. He could hot-wire a car when he was eleven, and he did, often. There was a series of burglaries in the neighborhood, but nothing of value was ever stolen, mostly just food. At first, the police wanted to blame a young person, but once they discovered that the burglar had by-passed some very sophisticated security systems, they decided that a young person would not have been capable of such a crime. In fact, the police said it pointed to an organized crime syndicate. It was very confusing. The person was never caught but we, meaning myself and the staff at Pemberly, knew all along that it was young Anthony trying to get his father's attention."

"Did it work?" Ziva asked.

There was a pause, "Not really."

"Why do you say that?"

There was another period of silence. It became obvious that she didn't want to reveal what she knew. It was also a fact that she could hang up at any time, so Gibbs gestured to Ziva to take it slower.

She acknowledged her boss' wishes, and then asked, "Senora Delgado, we know this is difficult to talk about, but it's very important. Ton—er Anthony, seemed to have a lot of injuries as a boy. Can you tell us about that?"

There was another period of silence and Ziva repeated, "Tony spent time in the hospital, Senora Delgado. Do you know why?"

"I have to go."

"Please, Mrs. Delgado," Ziva quickly added, "we are investigating a possible crime and need this information. You will be helping Tony if you help us now."

"Is Anthony in danger?"

"Yes."

They could hear her take a deep breath on the other end. "Ah, mi Dios." A muted prayer could be heard, and then she said, "Very well, I will try to help you. Sometimes, Senor DiNozzo's business partner would stay behind and look after Tony."

Ziva waited for more, but there was nothing forthcoming. "So," she coaxed, "Tony was in the care of an adult."

Mrs. Delgado's words were like poison when she responded, "I would not call that man an adult. He was a monster."

"Do you think he hit Tony?"

She did not respond.

"Please, Mrs. Delgado."

"I think he was a very cruel and sadistic man, and we think he did very bad things to our Anthony."

"Like what?"

"Dios mio, I cannot speak of what he did."

"Where is he now?"

She was startled by the question, "You do not know?"

"No, we do not know."

"No one knows what happened to him, Senorita David. He just disappeared."

Gibbs clicked his fingers at McGee.

"On it." McGee punched away at the keys while Ziva continued to ask questions of Mrs. Delgado.

"Is there anything else that you can tell us that might be helpful?"

"What kind of trouble is Anthony in?"

"We don't really know, but it has to do with Sarah Villanova."

"Sarah…" she said, reminiscently. "We thought those two would get married, smart couple we thought, and I think Sarah wanted it, but Anthony didn't."

"Why's that?"

"Who knows? He started running and he never stopped." Finally, she said something that Ziva understood.

"Thank you, Senora Delgado, for all your help. If we need to, can we call you again?"

"Of course, I would do anything to help my Anthony. Anybody who served the family would."

Just as Ziva disconnected, McGee said, "I found something. There was nothing written about it in the Gazette, but believe it or not, there was a write up in the New York Times." He pushed the article to the plasma and read the headline, "Prominent Business Partner Disappears." He continued to read, "It's been three weeks and no one has heard from Mr. Abdullah Mohamed, business partner of millionaire businessman Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. The police are investigating and believe foul play is involved, but they have no suspects. Mr. Mohamed was last seen leaving his hotel in New York City en route to the airport. His chauffeur, Amir Mohamed, who's also Abdullah's brother, said that he drove him to the terminal and watched him enter the concourse, and that was the last time he saw him. Amir Mohamed said his brother never boarded his flight for Saudi Arabia, and has not contacted anyone in the family. There have been no ransom notes and no one has come forward with any information. They are asking anyone with information on the case to contact the New York City Police Department.

"What month is that paper?" Gibbs asked.

"October."

Ducky reminded everyone, "That coincides with the time frame that Tony stopped having accidents that required the hospital."

"Gibbs! Gibbs! I got a hit!" Abby exclaimed, shuffling into the bullpen.

Five sets of eyes stared at her.

She stopped in her tracks, "What?"

"You usually call and we go to you," McGee explained.

"Why should I be left out of the party?"

"Abs, what'd'ya got?"

"That partial print came back with a match, and you'll never guess who." She was beaming until no one bothered to play. "Well? Is someone going to guess?"

McGee tried, "Sarita?"

"Nope."

"Tony?" Palmer ventured.

"No! Give up?"

Gibbs stated, "Amir Mohamed."

Abby pursed her lips, "I hate it when you do that, Gibbs; but, yes, Amir Mohamed." She leaned over McGee and punched on the keys, sending several images to the screen. "Anyone want to guess what list he's on?" Not waiting around for an answer, she displayed his picture under the heading, Terrorist Watch List.

The image of a bearded faced, Turban-clad man flooded the screen.

Ziva approached the display and asked, "Why would the brother of Mr. DiNozzo's business partner want Sarita and Tony dead?"

"I think I can answer that."

Six people turned around and looked at the woman. Everyone had been so focused on the plasma that they hadn't noticed Sarita and Director Vance standing on the platform of the steps, looking down.

"How long have you been there?" Ziva asked.

"Long enough," Vance replied.

"Where's Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"I have him running an errand. But I think Miss Villanova can answer some questions." The two walked into the bullpen and she was noticeably upset.

"McGee."

Tim scurried away and came back with a glass of water. She thanked him and held it with both hands, like it were some sort of life raft. For someone who had to perform in a couple of hours, she didn't look like she was going to make it. Looking around at everyone, she whispered, "I should never have dragged Tony into this. I don't want him to go to jail, and I don't want him killed… And I didn't know what to do, and if Tony knew I was telling you any of this…. "

Gibbs stared at Ducky, willing him to take action. "Sarita," he soothed gently, "Tony won't be upset. Why don't you start from the beginning?"

As further encouragement, Vance said, "Agent DiNozzo will be back soon."

She acknowledged his point and took a sip of water. "By now you know that Tony and I are more than friends. We would meet, secretly, in different cities and it was wonderful to just spend time together. It was his idea to remain anonymous, but as you saw from those pictures, we were almost caught. It sort of unnerved Tony because he had told me that if he didn't want to be caught, no one out there could do it. He put an end to our clandestine meetings and no matter how much I pleaded with him, he refused to meet up with me again. Then, I received that note that you analyzed. Whoever it was got close enough to put it in my dressing room. I just wanted Tony. He was the only person I trusted a hundred and ten percent. That's when I decided to show up here and take my chances. I knew by the way he spoke about you, and what you all did, that if anyone was going to help us, it was going to be NCIS."

Ziva asked, "How does Amir Mohamed fit into this?"

She bristled; it was painfully obvious she did not want to say the words. Finally, she quietly said, "Tony killed his brother, Abdullah Mohamed."

There was a stunned silence as the information was processed. "What?" Ziva asked.

"Tony killed Adbullah Mohamed, his father's business partner. But it's not what you think. He did it to protect me."

"Okay, Sarita, back up and start again."

"It all began when Tony's mother and brother were killed and his dad checked out of life. I guess Mr. DiNozzo didn't see himself raising a son alone, so his solution was to send Tony away. He shipped him off to camps and boarding schools around the country. Tony hated it and begged to stay home, but his father wouldn't hear of it. One night, while at one of those camps, Tony hot-wired a car and drove himself home. He was eleven."

McGee added, "Figures that Tony was _actually_ joy-riding when the rest of the eleven year old population was just simulating it on Nintendo."

"Mr. DiNozzo was livid, but Tony felt he'd gotten through to his dad and that he would finally stay home with him. But it didn't exactly work out that way. Instead of sending him off somewhere, Mr. DiNozzo just left him home, alone and unsupervised. Tony was angry. About that time, the houses in the neighborhood started having break-ins. I knew it was him the first time I heard about what was happening, and asked him about it. He smiled that disarming smile and showed me how he did it." She found herself again smiling at the memory. "You know, my father spent twenty thousand dollars on our home security system and Tony bypassed it in under-thirty seconds. He could figure out anything when he put his mind to it.

"Immediately, Mr. DiNozzo suspected who the culprit might be and called Tony into his study on one of his rare home visits and confronted him. Abdullah Mohamed, Mr. DiNozzo's business partner, was there and listened while he reamed Tony out. Mr. Abdullah, as Tony grew up calling him, was a big man, and he liked Tony and when the lecture was over, he pulled Mr. DiNozzo aside and made an offer. He offered to look after him when Senior had to go away. Tony liked him too and since Mr. DiNozzo was just glad that he didn't have to think about his son, it was agreed that Abdullah would make sure Tony stayed out of trouble.

"At first, everything seemed okay. Mr. Abdullah drove him to school and played ball with him. He kept very close tabs on Tony, even disciplining him in a matter befitting his native land of Pakistan."

"Corporal punishment," Ducky surmised.

She nodded. "A black eye here; a broken finger there. Tony didn't say anything. I think he was just happy to have someone around. The first time he was rushed to the hospital, I remember my mother whispering to my father. I didn't understand what she could be saying, but she wouldn't talk about it. When I asked, Mom would reply, 'It's none of our business.' And I didn't know what she meant. Then I saw Tony, and I was shocked! When I asked him what had happened, he casually replied that he'd crashed his motorcycle, but his motorcycle didn't have a scratch on it."

"So Tony's father wasn't the one abusing him?" McGee said, making sure he understood correctly.

"Oh, of course not!" she replied. "After his wife and Marco died, Mr. DiNozzo never touched Tony. Mr. Abdullah was smart, though, and he explained all the 'accidents' easily to an absent father. And he threatened the staff with deportation and legal action if they asked questions. The abuse would be followed by long periods of indifference. I learned all about this later from our housekeeper, but Tony never spoke of it." She paused again, took a sip of water, and tried to continue, choosing her words carefully. "I would soon discover the extent of the abuse."

Ducky discreetly observed Gibbs, wondering if he should call an end to this impromptu meeting. But knowing his friend, he figured he probably already knew the big picture.

"One night, I walked to Tony's house. My parents were out for the evening and we were going to write music and jam until we dropped. Tony said he'd come by around seven, but when he didn't show and didn't answer his phone, I got worried. For some reason, Pemberly was deserted that night, and Pemberly had a large staff and was _never_ deserted. Back then, everyone in the neighborhood knew all the ways into each other's houses, especially Tony's house. It was huge and had so many places to explore. I climbed the tree and scooted into the unlocked window. I heard muffled noises coming from one of the bedrooms." Her voice broke, "That's when I learned just how abusive and perverted he was. Mr. Abdullah was on top of him, and Tony was fighting, but he was no match for this man.

She swallowed her emotions, before continuing, "When Abdullah saw me, he was momentarily shocked, but he recovered quickly and lunged for me, catching my arm. The next thing I knew I was thrown on the bed and my shirt ripped off. He was… he was…going to…" she couldn't say it. She cleared her throat and continued, "It all happened so fast. Tony tackled him and they wrestled to the floor. He yelled at me to run, but I was paralyzed with fear. Mr. Abdullah was crazy! He had murder in his eyes and he was trying to kill Tony. I don't remember doing it, but Tony told me later I jumped on Mr. Abdullah and we crashed to the ground. Somehow, Tony and I managed to get just out of his reach. That's when Tony grabbed my hand and we took off. We ran for help, but there wasn't anyone in the house to help us. There wasn't anybody for a mile! By the time we made it to the barn where Tony kept his motorcycle, the bastard was already waiting for us! He said horrible things and reminded Tony that if he tried to tell anybody what he had been doing, that nobody would ever believe him; nobody would take the word of a juvenile delinquent over a respected businessman. He told Tony that his own father would never even believe him.

"Suddenly, Tony pushed me out the door but Abdullah grabbed him before he could follow and slammed him against the wall. I heard them fighting, and I heard Tony yelling to me to keep running. So I did. I ran and ran and ran. I could hear Adbullah beating Tony, and doing God knows what else… I still hear it today.

She paused long enough to take another sip of water, clear her voice and gather her thoughts. If she had taken the time to look at their faces, she may not have continued. "I waited in the darkness of the night, praying that Tony would get away and find me. Somehow, and I have no idea how, he did. He escaped from Abdullah's clutches and found me cowering under a tree. He grabbed my hand again and dragged me away from the house and into the woods. We ended up by the river, and that's when we realized we were trapped with the river in front of us and a murderous pedophile behind us."

Ziva felt like sitting down. It was more like her legs were going to give out. She held her thoughts together because that's what she was trained to do, but she wasn't feeling very composed at the moment.

Sarita continued, "It didn't take long for him to find us. He even laughed when he saw us peering over the cliff at the raging river below. I remember him saying to Tony, 'How many times do you think you can escape, _boy_? Don't be scared; the odds have shifted into my favor, _my boy_.'" She shivered at the memory. "The river was running high and it had already claimed two lives that summer. He waved his knife and said that after he was finished, the river could have us. And he said our disappearance was going to be too easy to explain: two reckless kids testing fate. He added that we weren't the first children he had had to dispose of. He leered at Tony, and told him that he was going to miss their night time rendezvous, but there was always another boy needing a father figure to step in and teach him the big bad ways of the world." Sarita broke her concentration and felt the need to justify the man's pending doom. "He was going to kill us! He had spent the last two years physically abusing Tony, and… and sexually abusing him, and now he was going to kill him!

Ducky eased her mind by slowly stating, "But, he didn't kill Tony."

"No, he didn't," she pulled back, "but I don't know why he didn't, and I can't explain what happened next. Tony put himself between me and that mad man. He told me to start running and not stop until I found help. All I remember seeing is the two of them hitting the ground, and wrestling for the knife. It was very dark and I couldn't see where I was going, but I did what Tony said; I ran. Unfortunately, I stumbled and fell, slamming my head against a rock.

"I woke up a day later in Pemberly. Tony had bandaged my head and brought me a clean set of clothes. It took me a while to get my bearings, but when I did, the entire ordeal came flooding back to me. I asked him what happened and he told me I fell and hit my head. He knew what I was asking; I wanted to know what happened to Mr. Abdullah, but he wouldn't tell me. I begged him, but he wouldn't say. I asked him how he was going to explain his injuries and he just laughed and said people were accustomed to seeing him beaten up and in two years, not one person had ever questioned how he got that way. Every time I asked, he deflected the question until eventually he just shook his head and told me to stop asking. I knew what that meant. When I suggested we tell the police, he said that Abdullah was right about one thing: no one would ever believe him, and he had no intention of spending any time in lock-up."

Sarita looked into her empty glass, and then up into the faces who had been hanging onto every word of her story. They looked sick, just like how she felt. But her concern wasn't for them, "Director Vance, I don't want Tony going to jail, and I don't want him killed by Amir Mohamed. I told you this story so you can help us. What are you going to do?"

Vance deferred to his Team Leader.

"Where is Amir Mohamed now?"

McGee clicked on his keyboard and reported, "It appears he's still in the Middle East, Afghanistan was his latest POD."

Gibbs was still digesting the details when the familiar sound of the elevator ding invaded his thoughts. The lack of movement and complete silence warned him who had exited.

Tony was in a hurry. "Sarah! You have less than an hour before you go on, and my phone's ringing off—" he pulled to a stop in front of his desk, registering the expressions of the faces who were looking at him.

And he knew.

"Aaa-Sarah, what have you done?" he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry. You said they'd figure it out, and they did. I just filled in the blanks."

Among his colleagues staring at him, he was only concerned with what one man was thinking. He somehow managed to zig zag his sight around the room, avoiding everyone's stares, until he met his boss's eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he saw reprisal. He didn't get a chance to make an assessment because of what assaulted his eyes over Gibbs' right shoulder. There, bigger than life, was the picture of the man he thought about every day of his life. He pushed Sarah aside and approached the plasma, muscles rigid and fists clenched. "He's alive?"

Sarah shook her head, "No, that's not Abdullah, that's his brother, Amir. He's the one who wrote the note."

Tony studied the picture, not believing his ears. "You're telling me that that's NOT Abdullah Mohamed?"

"That's right, Tony," Gibbs said. "His name is Amir Mohamed; he's the younger brother of Abdullah."

The tension permeated his body and Tony's jaw clenched. He had a million questions, but his first thought was of Sarah. He turned to face her and stated, "If he's out there, and he's anything like his brother, you can't go on stage tonight."

"I have to. I can't cancel now; it's not done that way in the business." His expression was one she knew all too well and she continued, "If I don't perform tonight, Tony, he will have won."

"I don't give a damn! You're not going out there! He's a killer—" the words came out before he could stop it, and when Tony made up his mind, it was impossible to change. Add to that the anger and fear in his voice, and several people took a step backwards, afraid of what he might do.

"Tony," Gibbs soothingly said, "hold on a minute. I have an idea."

"She's not going to be used as bait!" Tony said as he spun around, almost provoking a fight.

Gibbs deferred, "No, not as bait… more like a lure."

"No way!" Tony shook his head. "Not against him!"

Gibbs kept his tone quiet and held his subordinate's eye contact. "You'll be with her at all times."

Tony shook his head. "You can't expect her to go on tonight! You don't know Abdullah the way I do. He's—! He'll kill her!"

Gibbs cocked his head, studying his senior field agent. Soothingly, he stated, "Tony, Adbullah's missing and supposedly dead. It's his brother, Amir, who's on that screen."

Tony nervously moved his head and hands, not exactly sure where to take his thoughts. So many were flying through his mind right now that he wasn't sure which ones warranted exploring and which ones needed to vanish. He barely paid any attention to Ducky and Palmer leaving the room.

Sarah touched his arm and said, "I'm sorry, Tony."

He visibly exhaled, then wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. His mind seemed to clear and he began thinking like an NCIS agent again. "Not your problem. Your job is to entertain fifty thousand fans; our job is to protect you."

Gibbs said, "McGee, Ziva. Drive her back to the arena." Their hesitation was brief but still evident. "Go on," he urged.

Tony protested, "No. She doesn't leave my sight."

Gibbs gently responded, "She'll be with McGee and Ziva. You, yourself, said there were others who were as capable as you at protection."

Sarah pulled back and smiled, "I'll be okay."

Reluctantly, he let her leave, watching them until they disappeared into the elevator.

What Gibbs didn't say was that he needed time alone with Tony. He needed time to get Tony's head screwed on right. Once the door had closed, Tony tried to turn away but a strong grip to his bicep stopped him. It was evident that he didn't want to look at his boss. He didn't want to see eyes that knew his past. He only wanted to think about the case at hand and how they were going to play it. "Boss…"

Gibbs held his grip and said, "Are you going to be able to do this?"

Tony jerked away, his anger flaring up, "I can do whatever it takes to take Abdullah down."

Gibbs cocked his head again, as did the director.

"I mean… Amir."

Abby looked scared. When Tony got mad, he scared her and witnessing a show down between three alpha males wasn't on her top one million things to do in life. "Gibbs, I can start running facial recognition analysis on the crowd."

"Do it."

She walked past her handsome colleague and wanted to say something, but there was nothing she could think of that would sound appropriate. She let her hand run down his sleeve until she felt his hand. Gently she squeezed it, conveying her need to offer condolences for a childhood no person should ever have had.

Because he could never resist her gothic coolness, he smiled and let her know he was okay.

Vance said, "I don't want to be the one to pour salt in the tea, but how are you planning to get this bastard?"

Gibbs took one final long look at Tony and said, "He'll come to us."

"How do you know that?" Tony asked.

"Because if he's anything like his brother, he'll want to see your faces before he kills you."

"That's a pleasant thought."

Gibbs approached him slowly and said, "Tony, you're going to be key in all this. Can you do it?"

He chortled at the question, "Of course."

"What I mean is, can you NOT kill him? Can you extract a confession out of him?"

"With my eyes closed."

Gibbs wondered. He didn't look, nor did he sound, like a man ready to confront his past demons and they weren't going to have much time to get the information. If Gibbs knew what was coming, Amir would give Tony and Sarita just a few minutes before he made an attempt on their lives. If a confession wasn't had in those few minutes, Gibbs didn't want to think about the results of their meeting.

**TBC**

_**Based on some comments, I think I decided on the ending I want to use. Any and all comments are welcomed, and bonus kudos for anyone who can find a small inconsistency in this section. I tried to fix it, but it would have required too much of a rewrite so I left it as is. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the final chapter in the story. Many thanks to all who commented and fed my muse. **

Chapter 20

Ziva and McGee were in the security offices of the arena talking to Abby on the phone. McGee was telling her, "You've got the passwords to all streaming feeds at this place. If Amir comes through any of the gates, we'll have his picture. If he goes down any of the hallways, we'll have his picture. If he enters any of the restrooms, we'll have his picture, if—"

"I get it, McGee," Abby said. They could hear the distinct sound of her clicking away on her keyboard. "I'm using three computers right now to analyze these pictures, but I have to tell you, this could take hours."

"Hours that we don't have," Ziva mumbled.

Security Officer Jake Newell asked, "Would it help if you had access to another computer?"

McGee raised his eyebrows, "Yeah."

Five minutes later, McGee had commandeered two more computers and had tapped into the NCIS servers and was beginning a fourth and fifth facial recognition program. "With five computers searching, and a little bit of luck, we might be able to pull off a miracle tonight. You believe in miracles, Officer Newell?"

The officer shrugged, "Nope."

Ziva looked at each of the monitors. There was an entire wall dedicated to the stage area, presumably to ensure the performers are never in danger. Another wall was covered with monitors that rotated among multiple cameras displaying hallways, closets, and exits. The third wall of monitors displayed everything else. Ziva was amazed that they could secure a venue of this magnitude and asked, "How do you ensure a performer's safety?"

Newell shrugged again, which seemed to be his preferred method of communicating, "We ensure the building and the property; the performers usually bring their own security."

"You mean that Sarita's people are responsible for ensuring her safety?"

"We try to work together at it. Some folks are easier to work with than others. Sarita's entourage is pretty thorough and accommodating."

Ziva was studying the crowds on the screens when Gibbs walked through the door. "Why aren't you with Sarita?"

"She is with her band going through their pre-performance ritual. She said it is something they do before every show. Her body guards are there. Where is Tony?"

Gibbs checked out the security office and said, "He went backstage."

"Is he okay?"

He ignored her, so she asked, "Is he going on stage with her tonight?"

"Yep."

McGee asked, "Does he want to?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, I guess if he wrote half the songs, he should be okay."

Newell pressed some buttons on his console and the bank of monitors that were dark lit up and displayed activity. "The show's about ready to begin. You can take a seat and enjoy it, if you want?"

"We'll enjoy it from backstage. Ziva, with me."

McGee wanted desperately to be out there with them watching her sing, but then he remembered her story and Tony's—. He wouldn't let his mind take him there again. It was hard enough to hear it the first time, he wasn't about to rehash it all again. He studied the monitors as it went through frame after frame. "Abby? Are you still there?"

"I'm here, McGee." Her voice sounded dejected. "And I'm more worried about Tony than I've ever been."

"Yeah, me too. He'd be pissed if he knew it though."

"True. Do you think anything will happen to him?"

"No. I don't think Gibbs will let anything happen."

"I hope you're right."

Chapter 21

The show began with the usual rowdiness of a rock concert. The opening band did exactly what they were supposed to do and by the time Sarita and her band were making an appearance, the crowd was ready to rock. Her band mates were the first to walk on stage and pick up their instruments, not a particularly eventful entrance, but when Sarita came out on stage wearing a black body suit with neon purple designs subtly entwined throughout the fabric, the crowd went wild. Her blonde hair had been straightened and her statuesque physique was accentuated by four inch black leather boots that crested over her knees. She was simply something to behold. Ziva felt herself feeling jealous all over again.

Through the whoops and hollers, Sarita opened with one of her all time favorite songs, Lover's Quarrel, and the crowd seemed to explode. If nothing else, she could wow her audience. Ziva searched the darkened stage for the different band members. One by one she eliminated them as Tony until she landed on a tall sun-glassed clad guitar player. That was him. He had been given clothes to wear which weren't too different from what he usually wore: a pair of loose fitting jeans and a black t-shirt. The guitar looked natural in his hands and he played the song like he had always known it, although Ziva could tell by his tense facial muscles that he was concentrating on something other than standing on a stage in front of fifty five thousand screaming fans.

Gibbs spotted him, too. He looked the part and acted the part of a rock musician with an edginess that defied logic. But Gibbs reminded himself that Tony was born to work undercover and was one of the best undercover operatives he'd ever worked with. Of course he didn't envy him any having to be up on stage doing something he'd never done before, but once Tony got in character, he'd pull it off without so much as a hitch.

But something was off about him. To Gibbs, it seemed like Tony's mind was only half on what he was doing, and half on something else. Even though he played the guitar seemingly flawlessly and sang vocals on cue, the other half of his body was playing cop. He had every sense tuned into finding Amir Mohamed. As his head swiveled back and forth, Gibbs could see him scanning the crowd. This was a good use of his time and a perfect set up to nab Amir. It was a hell of a lot better than letting Tony sit on the sidelines with nothing to do but take a stroll down memory lane. Gibbs found himself staring at his agent. He had so much to give; yet so much had been taken from him.

"Gibbs?"

He pulled his brain back to the present. By Ziva's expression, he must have missed her question.

She repeated, "Do you think Amir Mohamed will make a move during the concert?"

"Nope. I think he'll try for them when they're alone." At least that's what Ducky had told him he thought would happen.

"So why make him go out on stage and perform?"

Gibbs studied the young Mossad liaison. When it came to matters of the heart, she really was obtuse. "To keep him out of our way."

She looked confused by his comment. "You mean he's not up there to protect Sarita?"

"I mean, he's up there to take his mind off his past, and so I can keep an eye on him."

Ziva thought about this. She never thought of Tony as anything but a capable agent, but now she was seeing another side of her partner. More importantly, she was seeing another side of Gibbs.

Chapter 22

Palmer commented, "I sure wish we could be at that concert tonight."

Dr. Mallard smiled, "Yes, but I find them to be on the loud side anymore, and a bit too rowdy for my taste."

Palmer understood, but disagreed. He thought about continuing the conversation but what he really wanted to talk about was something entirely different. Finally, he asked, "Do you believe that story about Tony and Abdullah Mohamed?"

Ducky looked up, "Why shouldn't I?"

"It's just so horrible, and Tony's so… normal. I mean normal to the extent that he doesn't act like a person who was abused as a child."

"I see, and how does one act who's been abused?"

"I don't know. But Tony is fun and confident and he jokes with everyone and lives a full life. A much fuller life than I have ever lived. He's dated more women than me—way more actually—and he's travelled more than I have, and he's—"

"Mr. Palmer," Ducky interrupted, "children of abuse don't advertise it. Some can grow up to lead very productive lives and have very full careers."

"I guess you're right, Doctor. But I don't know if I can ever look at him the same again."

Dr. Mallard understood. There was something about knowing too much about another person that could eat away at you. "I suspect the last thing that Anthony thought would happen is his secret would be unveiled. Do you think he would want to be treated differently now?"

"No, of course not. I just don't know if I can help myself. He's always sort of intimidated me," Palmer chortled at the admission. "He's such a good-looking man, even by male standards, and he's an accomplished federal agent, by anyone's standards, and he can get any woman he smiles at. Heck, he's dating Sarita, of all people! But knowing what he went through as a kid…"

"It does make it complicated, but not impossible. My advice to you is to forget what you heard. You'll find it easier than you think. Do you have the chemicals I asked for?"

"Yes, they are right here. What are you making?"

"When this is over, Anthony might need a respite from it all. This concoction will ensure he gets it."

Chapter 23

Abby thought about the concert, Sarita, and lastly Tony. She never would have guessed what his life had been like in a million years. He's such a guy…a man's man without any of the hang-ups she might associate with an abused person. He's never so much as intimated that such a thing had happened to him. It could explain his commitment issues, but she had never been abused, yet she is reluctant to dive into relationships.

She watched the never-ending stream of pictures as they were analyzed, but she felt it was a waste of time. "McGee, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," his face popped into the monitor.

"How's the concert going?"

"Great. You should see her, Abby; she looks incredible on video so I can only imagine that she must look like a goddess up on stage."

Abby pinned for a glimpse of the rock star. "Hey, McGee!" she said, having an idea. "Can you patch my video into your video so I can watch too?"

McGee was angry at himself for not suggesting it earlier, but given the circumstances, he rationalized his mind was on other things. "Why didn't I think of that. Let me ask Officer Newell here for some protocols and we'll see what we can rig up."

Five minutes later, Abby was watching the concert on her plasma screen and dancing to the songs she recognized. "This is great, McGee! Where's Tony?"

"He's on Sarita's left. She spends a lot of time next to him so you'll be able to see him."

"I can't believe he's up on stage playing to thousands of people. I don't know if I could do that."

McGee felt a tinge of envy, but just until he remembered what he'd learnt a short time earlier. "He doesn't look like he's enjoying it too much."

"I can't imagine why," she added sardonically. Finally, Sarita danced her way over to a man who Abby instantly recognized. "There he is! Wow, he looks hot!"

McGee bristled, "Any man with a guitar in hand looks hot to women."

"True, so that must mean that Tony looks extra hot since he's already hot!"

McGee pursed his lips; he was not having this conversation with her. "You think we'll get a hit on finding Amir Mohamed?"

She turned her attention back to her screens and answered, "So far, nothing."

"Something tells me that he isn't going to be so stupid as to allow himself to be caught this way."

Suddenly Abby felt deflated. If they didn't catch this man, Tony and Sarita were going to be in a lot of danger. "We gotta have positive thoughts, McGee. We gotta catch this guy. I don't want to think about what would happen if we didn't."

McGee mumbled, "I don't want to think about what's gonna happen if we do."

Chapter 24

The concert went on for two and a half hours. The fans had endless energy as did Sarita. Even Tony, covered in sweat, showed no signs of fatigue. Midway through the set, when Sarita stopped signing long enough to introduce the band members, she had saved Tony for last. "I love you all!" she screamed into the microphone. "I love DC!" she yelled as the crowd went mad. "Now I'd like to introduce the oldest member of my band; the writer of many of my songs, and an all around great guy." She walked towards him and as she got closer, the noise grew unconventionally louder. It's as if they were waiting to be introduced to him. "I'd like you to meet… the one! the only! Anthony DiNozzo!"

The noise became deafening. The crowd seemed to know something that Gibbs and Ziva didn't. Maybe they knew he was her mystery man. And when she threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately in front of fifty thousand screaming fans, the arena exploded with cheers.

Ziva and Gibbs exchanged looks. The Israeli commented, "Do you think we'll lose him to the rock star life?"

Gibbs had never seen anything like this, even in his younger days of attending concerts. There was never anything holding Tony to his job except his love for justice. His stage presence alone would make him a commodity in anyone's band, and the chemistry the two of them had on stage was a publicist's dream come true. But there were other, more pressing issues to worry about other than Tony's next career. "Right now, I'm working on not losing him to Amir Mohamed."

She nodded in agreement.

The concert ended at midnight after three encores. It was here that everyone learned that the number one song of all time by a female artist had been written by their very own Anthony DiNozzo. The song detailed the life of a child who had been abused and the excuses that that child had to come up with to satisfy anybody who had ever cared enough to ask.

The song was world renowned and included a three minute guitar riff that had Tony and the lead guitarist jamming out.

Ziva couldn't tell if he was enjoying himself or wishing it were over. He played respectably but who could really tell over the noise of instruments and sub-woofers.

As the band walked off the stage for the last time, Gibbs had already checked in with his team and learned that there had been no hits on any of the facial recognition programs. Gibbs, Ziva and McGee met the band in the Green Room, which was spacious and included comfortable furniture and tables full of food and drinks.

Ziva paid particular attention to Tony since Sarita was attached to him like an all-in-one salt-n-pepper shaker. When Tony spotted them, he demurred slightly, which wasn't lost on his boss. As they approached, Tony forced a smile and asked, "Did you like the show?"

"Very much," Gibbs replied. "You definitely know how to entertain."

"Yeah, well, I'm not ready to give up my day job."

"That's good to hear."

"Did you find Amir?"

Finally, he got it right. Gibbs shook his head, "No hits."

Sarita pulled closer to Tony, "What does that mean? Did he manage to avoid detection?"

Ziva answered, "No, not at all. It just means that he did not come into the arena by normal means. We have not stopped looking for him and we won't stop until we catch him."

Gibbs said, "I think it would be a good idea for both of you to leave with us."

She nodded, "That's fine. The band members usually go back to the hotel shortly after the crowd disperses, and that allows our crew to clean up and prepare for tomorrow's show."

Gibbs cocked his head in thought. Ziva noticed it as did McGee. The three edged their way towards the corner of the room as members of the band congratulated Tony on a job well done and offered him a position with the group. It was evident everyone liked him and he added the "face" that nobody else seemed to have. Sarita seemed particularly pleased and never let go of his arm.

"What are you thinking, Boss?" McGee asked.

"Have we checked out her band and all the stage hands?"

"We did. Everyone checked out."

Gibbs pondered the facts. Something in his gut wasn't setting right.

Chapter 25

Amir Mohamed walked across the empty stage, masking his traitorous core behind an easy smile.

Most of the crew had finished cleaning, re-stringing, and preparing the stage for the next performance and were smoking their last cigarette of the night. Amir nodded to a few he recognized and waved at others, but he kept to himself. He was one of three accountants that Sarita employed to keep her books, and he specifically volunteered for this leg of her world tour so he could be in DC when she was. The plan had been all too easy up to this point and it was going to continue being easy as long as he stuck to it. There was no way anyone would figure him out. He almost blew it earlier in the day when he had come within inches of running head first into DiNozzo, literally. They bumped, but he had escaped down a corridor before eye contact could be established.

Amir first thought of the plan six years ago when he found his brother's little black book, although it was less a book than a diary, and what he had discovered had both repulsed and excited him. In it, he read the names and ages of young boys his brother had molested. He read which ones he liked and which ones he didn't. He read personal information about each of the boys, both from a physical perspective and mental perspective. Amir continued to read about the best ruses and cons his brother had pulled off, with Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. being among the easiest to fool. Amir had learned that his brother was never fond of young girls, but that they'd do in a pinch.

Last but not least was a list of names, carefully written on the last page of the small book. The title was simply, RIP. After some investigating, Amir would later learn that those were the names of the boys his brother had murdered. Some no longer enticed him sexually; others were simply victims of his rage, at time so uncontrollable that Amir remembered the servants around his own childhood compound in Pakistan scared for their lives. To Amir, these traits of his brother made him a formidable ally and an intimidating foe, which is why he was so good at business and why he was capable of making millions. But money never satisfied him the way sex did, and his desires and perversions continued to grow until he seemingly met his fate one autumn's eve when he went up against a young boy named Anthony DiNozzo, at least that's what his research had lead him to believe when the diary suddenly went silent. It took three years of discreetly asking questions and hounding the Connecticut police for answers before he was able to put all the pieces together and figure out what must have happened to his brother on that fateful night in October. It didn't take that long to formulate a plan that would exact revenge on both Sarah Villanova and Anthony DiNozzo, Jr., which required that he get gainfully employed by the band, but even that didn't prove to be difficult with his accounting background. The hard part was waiting for the right time to make a move. The timing had to be perfect, and foolproof, and substantive. It wouldn't do at all to just kill them. If that's all he wanted, he could have done that six years ago when he first read the diary and figured it out. But he wanted revenge; perfect, sweet, satisfying revenge for killing his only brother.

And now he was within hours of realizing it.

Chapter 26

Gibbs stood in front of his boat, sanding block in hand, thinking. He normally liked this part of a case. The part where they closed in on the bad guy, but something was bothering him and he suspected it was hearing what Tony went through when he was a child. But it was more than that. It was knowing that he had been carrying around a secret of such a magnitude for so many years. And he carried it around alone, sharing it with no one. Gibbs knew something about that. These kinds of things had a way of eating at a person, and Tony seemed to hide more than his fair share of betrayal. He replaced the sanding block with his phone and dialed.

When McGee answered, he asked, "You and Ziva in position?"

"Yes, Boss. Ziva's in the lobby of the hotel and I'm parked out back, watching the rear entrance."

"Good. Any sign of Amir?"

"None."

Gibbs shut the phone and leaned against his boat. He was missing something, but he didn't know what. He dialed again and waited longer for the person answer.

"Hello."

"Vance, this is Gibbs."

"I can see that. What do you want?"

"Did you call the CIA on this one?"

"Yes. But they have bigger fish to fry, so don't expect any help from them."

"What about more agents?"

There was Vance's usual hesitation before he answered, "I thought you didn't want any extra men called in on this one. Something about keeping Agent DiNozzo's secret, a secret."

"Just checking. Go back to sleep."

"I wish I could, Gibbs. I'm parked across the street staring at the entrance of the hotel. Ziva's in the lobby and McGee is out back watching the rear. So far, only one person has entered the hotel and he was far from being of Middle Eastern dissent."

Gibbs smiled. Vance may want a house full of McGee's, but at least he sees the value of having the DiNozzo's of the world around. He hung up and leaned against his boat. Something told him that Amir would make his move during the nighttime hours, like his brother, and judging by the clock on the wall, he had about four hours left.

But something was still niggling at his gut. Something that was so close to being uncovered that he felt he'd smack himself on the back of the head when he figured it out. He debated the timing of making one last phone call.

Chapter 27

"This was really too easy," Amir Mohamed smirked. "I would have thought you would have made it more challenging, Agent DiNozzo."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"No disappointment, really. This is going like clock-work. I told myself that if I stuck to my plan and did not allow myself to get distracted or impatient, I would have my revenge before the day is over."

Sarita was completely confused. "Mr. Maxwell, what are you taking about?"

"You don't get it, do you? I'm not really an accountant; I only pretended to be one so I could execute my plan. Don't you recognize me?"

Tony recognized the eyes right off, but she hadn't recognized him at all. As far as she was concerned, he was just one of the many bean-counters whom she employed.

He shook his head, "I can see that you're still in denial, but," he pointed his gun at Tony, "I can see that you aren't. I wanted to get both of you together and this was the only way I could do it. The easy part was getting hired. I don't suppose you ever wondered what happened to Sidney Calvert, your former accountant. He had a little help with his heart attack."

She gasped in horror. "You didn't!"

"I must confess that I did. I needed him dead so that I could take his accounting job. None of this would have worked unless I was securely embedded into your business."

"You're sick!"

Tony stared down the barrel of his black Heckler & Koch 9mm handgun. Expensive, sleek, and very deadly. The phone on the table rang.

Amir glanced down at the number and smirked, "It is your boss, Agent Gibbs. Answer it but be very careful what you say." He aimed his gun at the beautiful blonde's head, saying, "Put it on speaker phone."

Tony picked up his phone and pressed speaker, "Yeah, Boss."

Amir stared hard, telepathically communicating his deadly intentions.

Gibbs asked, "You doing okay?"

"We're fine, Boss." Then he added, "Sarita just went to sleep and I'm watching TV." He kept his voice steady while he stared back at Amir.

Gibbs signed off, "Watch your back, DiNozzo."

Tony clicked off the phone.

The man smirked, "This is really too easy. I would have thought going up against one of your federal agencies would have been more challenging, Agent DiNozzo. Perhaps I didn't have to plan so thoroughly. No matter. I came here to kill you and that's what I intend to do, but not before I set the record straight."

He pulled out a small black book and waved it in the air. "Do you know what this is?"

"Should I?"

"No. This is what helped me discover who murdered my brother. It's like a diary. It has the names of all the boys my brother … 'played' with."

"Adbullah was a sick SOB—"

"—Shut up about my brother!" he yelled. "You have no right to speak about him." He pulled a set of cuffs from his pocket and threw them on the table and told Tony to put them on.

Satisfied the much larger man was restrained, he shoved both Tony and the girl against the wall and nodded his head in satisfaction. "Before I read to you what Abdullah wrote in this book, I want to tell you how I pieced it all together, beginning with the night I had dropped him off at the airport only to discover he had doubled back."

Chapter 28

Gibbs closed his phone and stared. Something just wasn't sitting right, but he couldn't put a finger on it. He mulled what information he had over in his head, trying to find the piece that was missing. He systematically went through the entire case until he came to the phone conversation he'd just had with Tony, looking for the missing piece. Finally, it slammed into his head and he whispered, "That bastard's in their room!" He turned and ran up the steps.

In the lobby, Gibbs had pulled McGee, Ziva and Vance together. "Leon, you mentioned that someone entered this lobby?"

"Yes, and he was alone. But he was not of Middle Eastern dissent."

Ziva remembered him, "You are right. He was average height and weight and maybe 60 years old. His hair was grey, but he was clean shaven and dressed in a suit and tie."

Gibbs flashed his badge at the night clerk on duty and asked, "The man that came through here; what did he want?"

"He said he's the singer's accountant, and that there is a problem that needed to be resolved before the next performance."

"Give me the access card."

The clerk handed over the card and stared wide-eyed as the group headed towards the elevator with weapons drawn.

"What's wrong, Boss?" McGee asked.

"That's his brother."

"Impossible," Vance argued. "He had none of the characteristics of Amir."

"People change, Leon, especially if they're set on revenge."

When the elevator opened on the private floor, the agent standing guard was down, his head lying in a pool of blood. Gibbs felt for a pulse and shook his head once.

He listened at the door but couldn't hear anything. Quietly, he slid the card in the slot and silently pushed it open. The foyer was empty. Ziva put her jacket in the door so it wouldn't make any noise closing. Once inside, Gibbs could hear someone talking, but it was too far off in a distance to make out any words. With stealth-like ease, the four moved down the hallway and into the music room, taking cover behind the piano and a bar. They waited silently, listening and making out the words being spoken. Gibbs winced at the explicit pedophilia references that were being clearly articulated.

Gibbs motioned with his forefinger to Ziva. She flattened herself against the wall and inched down the hallway. Tony was the first one she saw. His hands were cuffed together and he was against the far wall. Next to him stood Sarita, looking scared to death. The older man held a gun steady while reading from some book. She inched back to her team and reported.

"It is Amir?"

"I don't know. If it is, he sure doesn't look like his picture."

"Can we get into the room unnoticed?"

"You and I could. There's a chair and another piano between him and us."

Without speaking another word, she retreated back down the hallway and with catlike prowess, slid in behind the chair, giving herself a clear shot of the man. Gibbs followed her and with just as much ease, he slid in behind the piano.

Sarita saw them and gasped.

Amir furrowed his brow at her sudden interest in what was going on over his shoulder and started to turn when Tony grabbed his attention, "You can't expect her to hear what you're reading and not react! Your brother was a sick and perverted—"

"—Shut up! I won't have you talking that way about him!"

"Why? Because it's true? And you know it?"

Amir regained control and said, "What he did or did not do is not why I'm here! I'm here because I want you to confess to murdering him! I want you to tell me where his body is!"

Tony laughed, "You'll never find him," he whispered.

"Then you will watch your girlfriend die!" He raised his gun and fired but not before Tony stepped in front of her. The bullet ripped through his side and spun him around. "TONY!" Sarah cried, holding onto him as he slid down the wall.

"DROP YOUR WEAPON!" Gibbs yelled.

Amir spun around, shocked at what he saw. He thought he could take on one man, but what he didn't see was the girl behind the chair and the two men in the hallway.

The bullet whizzed by Gibbs' ear so close it made the hairs stand up on his neck. Unfortunately for Amir Mohamed, four bullets caught him in the chest, any one of them could have been the kill shot. He looked momentarily flabbergasted, before his gun hit the floor and he plummeted down next to it.

Chapter 29

Tony went in and out of consciousness in the ambulance. At the hospital he was immediately rolled into surgery, leaving Gibbs to find a suitable place to wait. He found a small room that was empty and parked himself on a well-worn foam cushioned chair. Sitting alone, he thought about the book Amir had been reading. Tony had mumbled something about it while en route to the hospital, but he was fairly difficult to understand. However, he didn't need to be a mind reader to know what Tony wanted. He waited until he was sufficiently doped up before he opened it and began to read it, and even then he couldn't bring himself to read many of the pages. But the one page that stuck with him was the last one, the one with the names of the boys Abdullah Mohamed had murdered. And the last name, the very last name on the list, written neatly was the name Anthony DiNozzo, Jr.

Tony had probably been within minutes of being one of his victims and instead of him murdering Tony, Tony had managed to kill him. Gibbs pushed that thought out of his mind and thought about the other names on the list. At least now he could give some closure to the families, but it would take a delicate approach, some covering up of information, and a lot of maneuvering to keep Tony's name out of it and the details of the gruesome murders out of the papers. Not to mention the inquiries into just where this man had disappeared to.

He pushed the book back inside his pocket when Ziva, Sarita, and McGee joined him in the waiting room. Sarita all but blurted out, "How is he?"

Gibbs shrugged. "They haven't told me anything."

Vance arrived, spoke briefly with Gibbs and left again, presumably to do damage control with the press, CIA, and any other agency needing to be handled.

Ducky and Abby shuffled into the room, but didn't ask too many questions. Finally, a man in blue medical scrubs entered and looked at the people. "Are all of you awaiting news about the Federal Agent?"

"Yeah," Gibbs answered. "Special Agent DiNozzo."

"He came out of surgery well. The bullet tore through mostly soft tissue, missing his liver and lodging itself in his back muscle. Painful, but completely recoverable; prognosis is very good if he follows rehab procedures. But we're having a little trouble with him in recovery. He's very agitated and we can't really figure out why. He keeps mentioning a book."

Sarita asked, "Can we see him?"

The doctor scratched his head, "We don't normally let more than one person in at a time, but we do make exceptions when we have an officer or federal agent in house. And he does seem like he wants to talk to someone. So if you'll promise me you won't cause him duress, some of you, NOT ALL, but some of you can see him."

Gibbs followed the doctor, and the others just looked at each other, unsure which ones were going to stay behind. Ignoring the doctor's orders, one by one they all filed into the recovery room. Tony was hooked up to monitors but he was awake and trying to focus his brain.

Gibbs leaned over him and spoke, "Tony? The doctor says you're going to be okay."

Tony turned, focusing on his boss. "Gibbs," he said, seemingly taking all his breath, "he had a book…"

"I have it."

"But it…"

"Don't worry about it, Tony."

"The last page…"

"I know. I'll take care of it. You rest."

Once Tony knew the book was with his boss, he allowed himself to succumb to the narcotics. Gibbs smiled, patted his arm and exited the room, followed by everyone else. As much as they wanted to know about the book, only Sarita and Gibbs knew the extent of its contents, and neither was talking.

Chapter 30

Gibbs looked up at the mezzanine and saw Director Vance walking alongside Sarita. It had been three weeks since the deadly encounter with Amir Mohamed, and two since Tony was released from the hospital. The two descended the stairs and entered the bullpen where Ziva and McGee gave her a warm greeting.

"I understand your shows have been sold out," Ziva said.

"Yes. All this attention is something of a curse. I didn't plan on this much demand and my band's asking about Tony. I don't suppose you'd give him up for me, would you?"

"Not my call," Gibbs said.

"But I do not think Tony would leave to join a rock band," Ziva added quickly.

Vance changed the subject, "Sarita has decided to suspend the rest of her tour and do a four month stint of USO shows for our men and women in the military. She's going to focus on air craft carriers and Marine bases around the world."

Gibbs smiled. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that all soldiers wanted to see a beautiful and talented woman. "That's good. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"Thank you. After what happened with Amir, I think I need some time away." She fidgeted some, obviously wanting to say something more.

Gibbs waited patiently.

"Agent Gibbs, have you seen Tony?"

"He's still on sick leave, recovering. I don't expect him back until the end of the week."

"I know, but I've called him numerous times and gone by his apartment, but he's never home. For someone recovering from a bullet wound, I would think he'd be home more."

McGee offered a possible explanation, "Tony's not very good at staying in one place."

"I know, but the demand for him to perform with me has shocked everyone. I get calls every day asking who he is and when he'll be back. The music industry has been turned on its head trying to wrap their brains around this new development. I've even considered changing the name of my band to include him. Give him equal billing."

Ziva said, "I've never heard Tony talk about his music. Perhaps it is not something he is as passionate about as everyone thinks."

She stared past the Israeli woman and watched as the man she wanted walked off the elevator and strolled towards her. She smiled, as he looked every bit as attractive and relaxed and rested as he did in their younger days together.

Vance welcomed him back, "Agent DiNozzo, what a pleasant surprise. We didn't expect to see you until later this week."

He acknowledged his director and smiled at Sarah. McGee said, "Tony's never been very good at staying home to recuperate either. He gets bored."

"That I do, Probie. Is what I hear correct? Are you going on the USO circuit?"

She smiled seductively, "So they tell me. I'll be spending the next four months going from air craft carrier to marine base and back again. Care to join me?"

He laughed, "Not a chance."

"But there are people clamoring to get hold of you."

"Let them clamor; I'm not at all interested in spending time on an aircraft carrier. I did my time already."

Vance shifted, wondering if he said that for his benefit.

"You don't understand, Tony," Sarita continued to explain, "When you write one of the most popular songs of all time, you can't run from that."

"Watch me," he said.

She looked dejected, but even dejected, she was still one of the most beautiful women in the business. "Okay, it's your decision," she cooed. "But I do have one more question."

"Shoot."

"Actually, it's for Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs raised his brows expectantly.

"How did you know to come to my hotel room the night Amir was there? When Tony talked to you on the phone, he didn't let on even a little bit? So how did you know?"

"It was easy. He said 'Sarita' had just gone to bed."

She furrowed her brow and raised her shoulders, confused.

"He never calls you 'Sarita'. He's only ever called you 'Sarah'."

She looked at Tony and he was smiling, enjoying the ruse he was able to pull off. It reminded her of when they were kids. She wrapped her hands through his arm and looking up into his smiling face, she said, "Director Vance, can I steal him away? I won't keep him forever, just today."

"I think we can spare him."

Tony liked the idea. She was radiant in her smile and for the first time in decades, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked at Gibbs and hesitated, wanting to know but not wanting to bring up the subject.

Gibbs could read his mind and answered, "It's being taken care of."

Tony nodded, knowing that Gibbs wouldn't allow the contents of that book to fall into the wrong hands. Eventually he would learn what happened to it and if he had his way, it would be burned, but for now, he would just trust that his boss was taking care of everything.

He had one final topic to broach and that was with McGee. That little bit of gossip he had learned in Norfolk was still eating away at him and he wanted to ask him about a certain young lady and a storage locker, but now wasn't the time. It could wait.

He put his arm around Sarah and escorted her towards the elevators. They were such a nice looking couple together that it was easy to watch them walk away. And from the distance, they could hear him asking, "You think I could get some royalty checks for any of my songs?"

Sarah smiled and replied, "There's something I should have told you a long time ago. I set up an account for you years ago for this very purpose. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you learn how much money is in there now."

"Enough to retire on?"

Unfortunately, the doors to the elevator closed before they could hear her answer.

**~Fini**

Disclaimer: Pat Benatar, the 1980's iconic singer, is credited with the inspiration for this story with her song, "Hell is for Children", on her biggest selling album, Crimes of Passion. If you haven't heard of her or downloaded any of her music, you're in for a real treat if you do.

_**Thanks for reading and commenting. This particular story went through multiple revisions b/c I couldn't decide who the bad guy should be. There were a few plot holes but readers didn't notice them, didn't care, or moved on to another story when they encountered them. To those who endured, I appreciate it. Off to write more fiction about this delicious tv character!**_

_**~Jasmine**_


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